Weymouth Eye wins a tower of backing (From Dorset Echo)
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Weymouth Eye wins a tower of backing
10:00am Thursday 7th July 2011 in News By Paul Crompton
HOW IT WILL LOOK: An artist’s impression of where the Weymouth Eye will be sited
BUSINESS leaders have welcomed a council decision to back plans for the proposed ‘Weymouth Eye’ on the town’s seafront.
A unanimous vote in favour of leasing land at the ferry terminal for the construction of the 53-metre observation tower could pave the way for a £1million boost to the borough’s economy.
Applicants Merlin Entertain-ment Ltd cleared the first hurdle in their attempt to get the tourist attraction finished in time for the 2012 Olympics during a management committee meeting.
The company behind the Blackpool Tower and the Lon-don Eye now await a favourable planning committee decision on July 22 before commencing work.
Weymouth and Portland Cham-ber of Commerce President Andy Cooke said business owners with a clear vision of their future believed this was good news for the borough.
The Weymouth businessman said: “Whenever a town that relies to quite a considerable extent on the holiday trade builds upon what it is offering for visitors by developing new attractions and new facilities will prove more reason to visit the town.
“I was born on the seafront and so I have empathy for the town so that’s the reason I like to see it going places.
“The tower will be one of the things that help the town to go places, it’s not the only thing but part of the mix.
“I welcome the decision and the Chamber generally welcomes the it as absolutely the right thing and I can only hope the planning committee comes to the right conclusion and this venture gets off the ground very quickly.”
During the meeting on Tues-day councillor Kate Wheller was one of eight councillors to vote unanimously in favour of the lease.
She said: “My feeling is Merlin are a reputable company and have a track record of running quality attractions.
“My only comment on this is that the time scale is really tight.”
The proposal for the attraction relies on gaining planning permission and the work on the project beginning before August to ensure it is ready for the start of the 2012 Olympics.
A Merlin Entertainment Ltd spokesman said gaining planning permission was key to the project and failure to do so would force them to rethink plans.
They said: “We are obviously pleased with the council’s decision but planning is key, without that nothing happens. It is very important to us because without it we will have to rethink our plans.”
He added: “We believe we’ve done everything we can to move the project forward and hope we’ve answered all the questions.
“It’s out of our hands now but obviously we need to start the project in August in order to have it ready for the Olympics.
“It’s not an Olympic project – we see it as a long term project – but the boost of having it open for the Games has a strong influence on us doing it.”
Comments(22)
K9
says...
10:13am Thu 7 Jul 11
Besides, the proposed tower is ugly even in the right setting.
WeyDave
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10:20am Thu 7 Jul 11
islandman
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10:27am Thu 7 Jul 11
K9, in Dorchester need not worry too much about the view, as he won't see it from there.
What might be worth asking yourself is this, if Merlin did not have the SeaLife centre here in Weymouth, what other attraction would there be to entice tourists/visitors. Weymouth needs other attractions other than the bay.
mammoth
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10:28am Thu 7 Jul 11
dorsetbeachcomber
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10:46am Thu 7 Jul 11
Wonder if K9 of Dorchester went to the recent preview meeting with the architect or is he just airing his views without the full facts?
scubadude
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10:56am Thu 7 Jul 11
Personally I think its ugly as sin (even a wheel would have been better!) but I'm sure Merlin have spent plenty of money on market research with beach tourists so they KNOW people are intersted in a ride up a tower?...
Trisher56
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11:29am Thu 7 Jul 11
islandman
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12:29pm Thu 7 Jul 11
Trisher56 wrote:So where in all the information provided, did it say anything about it not working when the wind blows,? no-where. Where did you read anything about the type of material being used which would lead to rust?, no-where.
Why not put it at the sealife, not put the eye sore on the sea front. rust-Buck and ugly. And what are they going to do when it's windy, it will not be working, and in the winter not working so what the use of it, O'yes it 2012 the Olympics.
Like the high speed broadband being introduced by BT in time for the Olympics the tower and the high speed broadband will be here for everyone to enjoy when the Olympics are but a memory.
Ref why not build it at the other end of the esplanade, whoops, is that a case of NIMBY ?.
Think this way, Merlin SealLife at one end, Merlin tower at the other, LINKED by MERLIN the land train selling dual tickets.
Land Train not Merlin I hear you cry. Well why not, it seems so sensible for Merlin to take on that and thus relieve the council of further expense.
Whilst we're on the subject of this type of change, even though I digress, why not allow Haven to take over the Pavilion because they have the expertise and finance to exhume this age old building and bring it back to life.
Duckorange
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12:51pm Thu 7 Jul 11
dorsetbeachcomber
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5:47pm Thu 7 Jul 11
Without investment in new attractions Weymouth will die like other UK seaside resorts that don't move forward.
islandman
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5:54pm Thu 7 Jul 11
Get a grip
says...
6:06pm Thu 7 Jul 11
By this they have allowed no time for reflective thought or detailed negotiation, basically they say accept what we want or it will not be built on time.
steve37
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7:00pm Thu 7 Jul 11
steve37
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7:00pm Thu 7 Jul 11
SilverS
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7:47pm Thu 7 Jul 11
Merlin on the other hand have put a quick fire pressurised idea of fancy at the last minute so that the ones deciding yes or no to the "thing" are blinded by the "highs", now if someone wishes to give me the PROOF, the FULL FACTS, my ideas of it are as valid as a money mouthed suit, it will not fit in or work in Weymouth
davrichens
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9:59pm Thu 7 Jul 11
SilverS
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10:10pm Thu 7 Jul 11
davrichens wrote:Its been said over and over for the Pavilion to be updated by someone, whether its W&PBC, Haven, Merlin, ANYONE !! That is the way to bring in the tourist trade, and if done correctly, a year round pulling attraction with indoor attractions (proper big headline shows etc), indoor flume pool etc and yes, even an on built viewing tower. But just a tower? What pull does that alone have? Its a disaster waiting to happen and it will mess up the area there to expand/upgrade the pavilion in the future
To be honest, i think weymouth should move condor over to portland, and merlin could take over the whole pier and have a proper theme park as well as the tower, thats what the town needs, and if merlin worked along with AEG they could also take over the pavilion and make it part of the theme park and put on proper shows as well as the usual pantos and summer shows! Just a thought!
The Fish
says...
7:32am Fri 8 Jul 11
I believe the first story run by the echo indicated that the tower would be closed in high winds (if its similar to the one in Sea World, Florida, then anything above 20 knots then the tower is closed).
@dorsetbeachcomber
Depends on the quality of the stainless steel - marine grade stainless does'nt rust but then it costs more.
@davrichens
Good idea :o)
scubadude
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10:28am Fri 8 Jul 11
portlanders
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6:12pm Fri 8 Jul 11
If Merlin really want this tower, then negoiate with them, get them to fund improvements to the pavillion and surrounding area. Don't just give it to them on a plate
ETV
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12:24am Sat 9 Jul 11
.
Oh, and if it rusts paint it.
Duckorange says...
10:06am Thu 7 Jul 11