AN Olympic Village to house sailors for the 2012 games is to spring up on Portland.

Organisers today confirmed that the Sailing community will be based at a new development being built at Officer’s Field on Osprey Quay.

It was originally planned to base all the athletes on a cruise liner moored in Weymouth Bay, but organisers turned their attention to land-based facilities after competitors raised concerns about being cooped up on a ship.

The 14-day Olympic sailing competition in July and August 2012 will involve approximately 700 sailors, coaches and officials. The six-day Paralympic sailing competition in August and September will require less than half that number to be housed.

The Olympic Village will house up to 400 international athletes for the sailing events. However, around 500 to 600 bedrooms will be needed to house the competitors and officials.

The news does not affect British athletes, who will be accommodated at the new Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) Portland House training centre at Osprey Quay – part of the £30million Castle Court development.

Many Olympic sailors such as Nick and Sarah Dempsey, Paul Goodison and Saskia Clark have their own homes in the borough.

Developer ZeroC Holdings is building 77 two, three and four-bedroom low carbon homes in partnership with the South West Regional Development Agency, the owner of the land on Portland.

A spokesman for the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said the development was selected following an assessment of accommodation options around the wider Weymouth and Portland area to find the best possible housing for competitors and their support teams.

The development is within close proximity to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the events will be based, and adjacent to Portland Marina.

LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said: “This development offers consistency with the standards being achieved in the main Athletes Village in Stratford, and will be a great home for the athletes.

“We are confident that making temporary use of a permanent facility which is very much part of the impressive regeneration of Portland is the right solution for athletes and for Portland in the long-term.”

Kim Slowe, managing director of ZeroC Holdings, added: “The Games will bring excellent facilities and much-needed investment to the area. The housing is located next to world-class leisure facilities and stunning coastal scenery.”

James Watts, development manager at the South West RDA with responsibility for Osprey Quay, said: “The RDA is investing more than £40million in Osprey Quay to make it a magnet for private sector investment, creating around 1,400 jobs by 2016.

“We’re delighted that this exemplar low carbon development will be a temporary home to teams from around the world and then a permanent asset for the local community.”