Motorists to make way for Weymouth seafront square (From Dorset Echo)
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Motorists to make way for Weymouth seafront square
10:30am Saturday 28th March 2009 in News
MOTORISTS are to be steered around a Weymouth landmark to make way for a seafront square.
Traffic will be directed away from the King George III statue under plans for a new pedestrianised square on the Esplanade.
The changes are part of a £6.6 million regeneration project for Weymouth seafront.
The square is the first stage of the project, which will be completed in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.
It will allow visitors to walk right up to the 1810 statue, which is currently cut off to pedestrians by the road system.
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council chiefs hope that work will begin on the traffic management scheme by September.
Objections to the proposal will be considered by the council’s planning and traffic committee.
Councillor Christine James, transport and infrastructure spokeswoman, said: “The area around the King’s statue is an important gateway for Weymouth, connecting the town’s shopping streets with the beach and esplanade.
“At present, it is dominated by traffic, cluttered with poor quality street furniture and impossible to access on foot.”
The road layout, parking bays and bus stops close to the statue will all be reorganised to create the square.
The statue was refurbished in March 2008 as part of a £30,000 scheme.
Under the plans, the road that runs between the statue and the top of St Thomas Street will be pedestrianised and a new roundabout and traffic island will be built further along the Esplanade, away from the town centre.
The bus stops at Royal Terrace will also be relocated opposite the American D-Day Memorial so that the pavement can be widened.
Railings will be built around the King’s statue, which will be on a Portland stone plinth. The statue and surrounding buildings will be lit up at night.
It is hoped that the square will be used as an informal meeting place and as a venue for exhibitions, performances and markets.
The large timber shelter next to the bus stop on the Esplanade will be removed to create uninterrupted views from the new square out to sea.
Coun James added: “If realised, these plans will create a new central civic space, with the beautifully restored King’s Statue at its heart.
“Over 93 per cent of people who responded to the public consultation in 2007 were in favour of the George III Square plans, so we know local people support the idea.
“Now more detail is known, it is vital that people share any opinions about the traffic proposals with us, and I encourage anyone with interest to find out more at this stage.”
Objections or comments on the proposals must be made in writing to Joan Bishop, Committee Services, Council Offices, North Quay, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8TA by April 17.
Comments(27)
Techie
says...
12:04pm Sat 28 Mar 09
maximus
says...
12:30pm Sat 28 Mar 09
On the contrary, it could be a positive thing to have this old relic vandalized so that it can be replaced by a more up-to-date artifact and my remark about the little green container is positive because it exemplifies the truth of what actually happens.
My glass is usually completely empty by the time I enter these remarks :^)
nigefromdorchester
says...
1:22pm Sat 28 Mar 09
BengalTiger
says...
2:01pm Sat 28 Mar 09
Objections or comments on the proposals must be made in writing to Joan Bishop, Committee Services, Council Offices, North Quay, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8TA by April 17.
security word - push-form
free wessex
says...
2:30pm Sat 28 Mar 09
Ask Archie
says...
5:56pm Sat 28 Mar 09
r & Preston.
Wey-Dave
says...
6:33pm Sat 28 Mar 09
X Old Bill
says...
6:51pm Sat 28 Mar 09
Get rid of the 'gardens' in front of the statue and put a sort of omnibus interchange there, with a small shelter maybe.
Pedestrian access could be via some form of designated crossing places marked with stripes on the road and little orange lights to warn motorists.
Then move the taxi rank so that it is next to the Tea Cabin.
Worth a try, surely!
Oh, and Maximus: I think that people in offices tend to use the 'Alternative Fax Machine' nowadays, Much more efficient than the old WPB.
weymouthfox
says...
11:48pm Sat 28 Mar 09
weymouthfox
says...
11:48pm Sat 28 Mar 09
wyke resident
says...
11:35am Sun 29 Mar 09
That is a result of the last planning bodge up. At one time it was part of the crossing and could be accessed with ease.
The large timber shelter next to the bus stop on the Esplanade will be removed to create uninterrupted views from the new square out to sea.
Is this the Victorian shelter? No doubt to be replaced with cheap furniture.
The bus stops at Royal Terrace will also be relocated opposite the American D-Day Memorial so that the pavement can be widened.
Are they talking about the littlemoor and preston bus stops? That's a nice walk from the shops to the bus stop.
Why not build a bus terminal in the car park opposite Debenhams..pedestria
nize the sea front from the statute to the clock...put strict traffic restrictions on Kings St..force traffic to use the by-pass..reopen westham bridge.
If the money is available as a grant go for it!!
Techie
says...
3:42pm Sun 29 Mar 09
Ask Archie wrote:What an exaggeration - it's thirty seconds walk at the most!
has anyone seen how far the bus stops will be fromwhere people actually want to go.If they got any further away people just as well walk from Dorchester,Littlemoo
r & Preston.
Mads
says...
9:13pm Sun 29 Mar 09
Techie
says...
12:00am Mon 30 Mar 09
Mads wrote:That's exactly it. I went to the tapas place at Statue House with a friend the other day (very recommendable if you haven't been) and sitting there it was obvious what a difference it would make to the end of St Thomas and St Mary Streets.
I think these plans look fab. No idea why all the negative comments - we should be celebrating the fact that we have the opportunity to spruce up the seafront which will encourage more visitors and be good for the town.
Andy Cooke
says...
9:46am Mon 30 Mar 09
Please though can we get rid of the railings around the statue, they look ridiculous. Granted there may be a bit of a risk of vandalism but the whole area is covered by CCTV which should be a good enough deterrent, we deal with the risk of vandalism along the rest of the seafront so why not around the statue. Whether we like the look of the statue or not to many of our visitors it is iconic of Weymouth as a holiday resort and to cage it in in the way it has been sends out a very negative message to them.
As for the suggestion from Weymouthfirefox regarding Councilor James and a personal interest she may have due to her business location ... I find this quite outrageous and typical of those who take advantage of the anonymous nature of posts on this website. It's about time the Echo adopted the same attitude to online comment as it does to it's letters page and accepted posts only from real people with the courage to put their name to a comment.
Ask Archie
says...
10:24am Mon 30 Mar 09
Techie wrote:If you nare fit and well.60% of bus passengers are OAP'S
Ask Archie wrote: has anyone seen how far the bus stops will be fromwhere people actually want to go.If they got any further away people just as well walk from Dorchester,Littlemoo r & Preston.What an exaggeration - it's thirty seconds walk at the most!
Ask Archie
says...
10:30am Mon 30 Mar 09
Andy Cooke wrote:With the police only catching 70% of drink related crime in Weymouth do you really think they will be bothered about the statue and that's with 40+ cctv on the go.As far as Mrs James is concerned the new plan does get rid of the bus stops from near her property which would make it better for her outside diners.Makes you think don't it?
Plans look good to me and I can only hope that we are finally able to get on with something in Weymouth without constant delays from protestors scared at the thought of change. Please though can we get rid of the railings around the statue, they look ridiculous. Granted there may be a bit of a risk of vandalism but the whole area is covered by CCTV which should be a good enough deterrent, we deal with the risk of vandalism along the rest of the seafront so why not around the statue. Whether we like the look of the statue or not to many of our visitors it is iconic of Weymouth as a holiday resort and to cage it in in the way it has been sends out a very negative message to them. As for the suggestion from Weymouthfirefox regarding Councilor James and a personal interest she may have due to her business location ... I find this quite outrageous and typical of those who take advantage of the anonymous nature of posts on this website. It's about time the Echo adopted the same attitude to online comment as it does to it's letters page and accepted posts only from real people with the courage to put their name to a comment.
Techie
says...
1:30pm Mon 30 Mar 09
Ask Archie wrote:So what you're saying is that one particular councillor has had the entire Esplanade Regeneration plan drawn up to remove bus stops from outside her property? Get real.
Andy Cooke wrote:With the police only catching 70% of drink related crime in Weymouth do you really think they will be bothered about the statue and that's with 40+ cctv on the go.As far as Mrs James is concerned the new plan does get rid of the bus stops from near her property which would make it better for her outside diners.Makes you think don't it?
Plans look good to me and I can only hope that we are finally able to get on with something in Weymouth without constant delays from protestors scared at the thought of change. Please though can we get rid of the railings around the statue, they look ridiculous. Granted there may be a bit of a risk of vandalism but the whole area is covered by CCTV which should be a good enough deterrent, we deal with the risk of vandalism along the rest of the seafront so why not around the statue. Whether we like the look of the statue or not to many of our visitors it is iconic of Weymouth as a holiday resort and to cage it in in the way it has been sends out a very negative message to them. As for the suggestion from Weymouthfirefox regarding Councilor James and a personal interest she may have due to her business location ... I find this quite outrageous and typical of those who take advantage of the anonymous nature of posts on this website. It's about time the Echo adopted the same attitude to online comment as it does to it's letters page and accepted posts only from real people with the courage to put their name to a comment.
Ask Archie
says...
2:08pm Mon 30 Mar 09
mikeman
says...
5:03pm Mon 30 Mar 09
Ask Archie wrote:I quite agree with you Archie for some mad inexplicable reason we expect all of our councillors & MPs etc. to be stand up honourable people when in actual fact they are some of the most corrupt self centred liar's that you could ever imagine.
Techie,Not what I'm saying at all but I hope when the plans were discussed she declared an "interest" as councillors are supposed to.
weymouthfox
says...
11:55pm Mon 30 Mar 09
Techie
says...
10:24am Tue 31 Mar 09
weymouthfox wrote:Oh get a clue. The Esplanade regeneration is a corporate priority of the council, Cllr James is the briefholder for "transport and infrastructure", WHAT ELSE IS SHE GOING TO SAY?!
It certainly makes you think doesn't it. Councillor Mrs James promotes a plan that enhances her restaurant so she can extend and seat more outside. Does nobody else find this "coincidence" worrying?
And since when has the Echo started printing declarations of interests? If you're that bothered people quit whining at teh internets and start reading the documents and going to the meetings, that way you won't have to speculate and denigrate in the way you do so so well at the moment.
maximus
says...
10:28am Tue 31 Mar 09
Perhaps you could advise us about the specific place where we can see this information on the Council website?
Techie
says...
2:02pm Tue 31 Mar 09
Seafront regeneration: http://www.weymouth.
gov.uk/home.asp?sv=1
291
Councillors and Registration of Interests:
http://www.weymouth.
gov.uk/home.asp?sv=1
18
Committee papers:
http://www.weymouth.
gov.uk/home.asp?sv=9
62
Corporate Plan:
http://www.weymouth.
gov.uk/home.asp?sv=5
maximus
says...
3:43pm Tue 31 Mar 09
Phaedrus
says...
6:42pm Tue 31 Mar 09
Techie wrote:Actually two minutes at the very least - nothing to those of us who are fit and well, but a real discouragement for the elderly and anyone with reduced mobility and shopping to carry.
Ask Archie wrote:What an exaggeration - it's thirty seconds walk at the most!
has anyone seen how far the bus stops will be fromwhere people actually want to go.If they got any further away people just as well walk from Dorchester,Littlemoo
r & Preston.
maximus says...
11:01am Sat 28 Mar 09
Objections or comments on the proposals must be made in writing and will be promptly consigned to the little green container under the desk.