DIVING enthusiasts claim their plan to sink a battleship off the Dorset to create an artificial reef is still feasible despite a number of setbacks.

Weymouth and Portland Wreck to Reef Ltd (W2R) wants to secure a lease of the seabed from the Crown Estate, on which to sink a ship to use as a dive site at Kimmeridge.

But the Crown Estate will only issue a lease to a statutory body – and so W2R has asked the county council to enter into a lease agreement on its behalf.

The project is designed to help revive the ailing diving industry which has taken a number of knocks in recent years.

The industry in Weymouth and Portland has seen a fall in the number of visitors and it has been estimated the project could generate a potential £1.2 million for the local economy each year.

However, members of the county cabinet were told the council’s insurance costs would significantly increase as a result of such an agreement – and that it would not be possible to insure against all potential liabilities which could occur.

And, if W2R ceased to exist, the council would be left with full responsibility for the wreck and for the project.

As a result, while supporting the idea in principle, cabinet members decided not to enter into a lease agreement as proposed.

However, they asked officers to continue discussions with the company and other interested parties to investigate whether any alternative arrangements could be made to help overcome these problems and carry the project forward.

A meeting will now take place between the Crown Estate and W2R tomorrow to try to find a way forward.

The group says the project is forging ahead because of an offer from a local businessman to purchase and donate a ship to be sunk in the artificial reef area. The ship is an ex-Royal Navy Castle Class warship.

The businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being, is involved within the marine industry locally.

The warship, which played an integral role in the Falklands War would be environmentally cleaned and made safe for diving while moored alongside number one berth in Weymouth Harbour.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council Harbour Board have already confirmed to W2R that number one berth could be made available for the preparation of the ship prior to scuttling.

W2R Project Coordinator Neville Copperthwaite said: “There is a window of opportunity here which we would very much like to capitalise on. “This ship will not be on the market for ever, so it is understandable that we are anxious to finalise seabed lease negotiations with the county council.

“We had an original fact finding meeting back in May and the county cabinet were due to make a decision at their July meeting but that was then deferred until the September cabinet meeting. Five months down the road and we are still talking. “We are not asking the county council for money but we do need them to become the leaseholder for the project.

“Apart from this, the project is ready to go.

“However, if this continues to drag on we may miss the opportunity to acquire this ship and when you consider it cost SWRDA £1.4million to purchase and sink HMS Scylla near Plymouth, it is clear that this level of investment does not come around every day whether it be in the form of cash or in the form of a donated vessel.”