A COUNCIL is to press ahead with getting its money's worth from a Weymouth beachside beauty spot by investing in its future.

A planning application is set to be submitted in order to improve the appearance of the two-storey chalet block at Greenhill which is deteriorating.

It is part of a plan by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to get the best use out of the facilities and increase revenue.

There are more than 100 chalets around Greenhill Gardens.

The council, which has run them and the associated facilities for years, put them up for sale in a controversial move last year because they had become too expensive for the authority to maintain. No-one came forward to take them over on a commercial basis and the council then rejected a takeover bid from a chalet users' community group.

The council decided to continue managing the chalets but to make it worth it, councillors backed a proposal which would involve selling some of the chalets, letting others on commercial terms to attract a wider user market, and look into redeveloping some of the land at the Play Gardens. This latter move has since been ruled out.

A report to the council's management committee next Tuesday (June2) by Head of Assets and Infrastructure David Brown outlines the next steps.

As well as recommending the refurbishment of some chalets and the construction of some new ones to bring in additional revenue, the report urges the council to submit an application (including listed building consent) for the Esplanade two storey chalets so works can be done in phases over time to protect it. This includes enclosing the upper area, works to the roof covering and viewing deck and installing a central staircase.

An application for Heritage Lottery Funding and other funding sources would also have to be made to help pay for it all. Previous estimates for repairs have put the work at between £800,000 and £1.2m, but work could be done in increments so as not to pay out huge sums at once, the reports suggests.

It is also proposed to convert the cafe facility into additional chalets in the longer term.

A timetable has been prepared detailing various works.

In the meantime, officers have licensed the chalets until October 1 and tendered 17 vacant chalets. Officers will report back in October with recommendations for future leasing and licensing arrangements.

Chairman of the Greenhill Chalet Users Community Group Sue Bray said she was 'amazed' by the council report in that it is only focussed on the chalets and not the associated leisure facilities which was the remit for the community bid.