by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
An improved Family Hub is to be created at the Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre close to the town centre.
The Marsh Sports Complex in Knightsdale Road will be refurbished and partially altered to create a revamped Family Hub, the work to include a new entrance and café with external canopies and a better internal layout.
Replacement doors and windows are also planned together with air source heat pumps and associated landscaping works.
Drawings show several family rooms and clinic areas with the additional of several canopies and a covered buggy storage area.
A planning proposal for the works from Dorset Council is currently open for public comment until July 14.
Said Dorset Council in its planning application: “The site is currently in active use as a Family Hub and Outdoor Education Centre…It provides a hybrid educational and community-focused function, combining indoor family support services with structured outdoor learning and adventure-based activities. The Family Hub element delivers a range of community, wellbeing, and support services for local families, including early years provision, parenting support, health and social care outreach, and spaces for group activities and community use. This aspect of the site is characterised by inclusive, non-residential daytime use, supporting children, young people, and families through accessible local services. In parallel, the site operates as Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre (WOEC), offering structured outdoor education and activity programmes for schools, youth groups, families, and organised groups. Activities include coasteering along the Jurassic Coast, rock climbing on the cliffs of Portland, and other land- and water-based experiences, all designed to promote personal development, resilience, teamwork, and confidence building through experiential learning.”
The details of the proposal can be found on the Dorset Council website using the planning reference P/FUL/2026/02366
