Dorset Council has been awarded £2.13m to unlock land for homes.
The grant funding will be used to help build almost 200 homes in Dorset on underused brownfield land, helping local people and families get on the property ladder.
Dorset Council submitted an ambitious bid earlier in the year to the Brownfield Land Release Fund, administered through the One Public Estate Programme and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. £57.8 million has been allocated to councils to develop Brownfield Land into good quality housing while transforming derelict local areas.
Dorset Council’s share of this funding is £2.13m and it will be used to enable work to progress on key sites around the county to free them up for residential development.
An impressive £943,255 has been allocated for enabling works at the site of the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council offices at North Quay.
The funding allows the council to submit a planning application for demolition, before inviting developers to tender early next year for the development of the land as the Council’s development partner.
As it stands, the current proposal for the North Quay site involves demolishing the existing North Quay building and building residential units with some commercial/community space on site, as well as reinstating the old High Street, all in keeping with the historical character of the area.
Councillor Tony Ferrari, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Property and Assets, said:
“This grant funding is hugely important for Dorset and is something to celebrate. It will be used to deliver almost 200 new homes, open spaces, community facilities and new workplaces for residents of Dorset by allowing us to unlock the potential of our land and assets.
“The projects that this funding will impact will help us to deliver housing solutions on brownfield sites, which meet their needs.”
A further £775,000 is earmarked, subject to planning permission, to facilitate necessary drainage and demolition work at the former East Dorset District Council offices at Furzehill, Wimborne unlocking the potential for the residential development of the site
Additionally, £385,000 will also be set aside to enable sites in the north of the county to be unlocked to allow for 40 homes, all of which is subject to the relevant planning permissions.
