Campaigners come up with new vision for the historic St Michael's site in Brdport (From Dorset Echo)

Campaigners come up with new vision for the historic St Michael's site in Brdport

1:00pm Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News

CAMPAIGNERS aiming to save the historic St Michael’s industrial site in Bridport have come up with an alternative vision for the estate.

And they hope to use new government Right To Bid rules to help them keep what they say are vital community assets for the benefit of the town.

They want to see a new community hall, business units, a warehouse and community garden included on the estate – not the proposed 105 homes and demolished commercial units.

The Industrial and Provident Society, Enterprise St Michael’s, which is a non-profit-making company, has prepared a series of drawings of what it thinks the estate would look like if it could buy some of the buildings and use land, currently derelict, for an indoor market and an eco-business centre.

Bridport councillor Ros Kayes said the Right to Bid was potentially a phenomenal opportunity for groups who are fighting to save buildings that area due to go out of public use or revive such assets as village shops and public houses.

She said: “This legislation allows us to put forward a positive alternative to some of the unpopular proposals for parts of the site.”