A new community hub could be introduced in a deprived area of Portland.

Portland Town Council has agreed to submit a bid to Dorset County Council (DCC) expressing interest in purchasing the former Brackenbury Infants School in Fortuneswell.

It wants to convert it into a community hub, as well as being a permanent home for the town council.

A motion to nominate the site as a community asset was agreed in September with original plans to have the site become a new free primary school. However, these plans were not supported and the town council has since been working on plans to create a community hub.

Speaking at the Portland Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Lucy Grieve explained that DCC put the school site up for sale in June, and the town council has until May 14 to submit a bid to purchase the site before it is sold to someone else.

She said: "If we can get a bid in by early March we can preempt the selling of the site.

"It would create a huge community benefit and part of the site could become the permanent base for Portland Town Council.

"It would offer a range of services to the community. It would also be protecting a green space, the last green space in Fortuneswell. There is also an area we don't need that could be used to build four affordable housing units on."

She added: "Underhill is one of the most deprived areas, something needs to be done.

"Today's decision is not the final decision. We need to look at the details of this.

"We need to make a final decision at the next meeting on February 14."

Dorset Echo:

The inside of the former Brackenbury Infants School site

A report before councillors said the vision for the site would be to create a "focal point" for the Underhill community, offering facilities and services which respond to the great need, offset the high levels of deprivation and raise feelings of self-worth, confidence and aspirations.

Cllr Grieve said Portland Town Council has received a strong interest from a number of groups who would like to use the site.

Current plans include a lunch club, free daily parent and toddler sessions, a base for the foodbank as well as Island Community Action and Portland Gig Rowing Club.

Chairman of the meeting, Cllr Ray Nowak, said: "It is likely that we are going to be moving to a unitary authority. Portland Town Council is going to have a much greater role. The current space we have is insufficient."

He added: "The community hub would be supporting other organisations on the island and that must be a good thing."

Councillors agreed to proceed towards submitting a bid to Dorset County Council for the acquisition of the site with plans of converting it into a community hub as well as a permanent base for Portland Town Council.