The borough council has to ‘bite the bullet’ and get on with repairs to Weymouth’s crumbling harbour walls to ensure Condor Ferries return next March.

A £2million programme of works to fix the quay in order for a ferry service to resume in 2013 will be done to a tight schedule, a meeting of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council was told.

Officers are liaising closely with Condor and are hopeful works can be finished in time for the start of the summer sailing schedule.

Condor switched its sailings to Poole earlier this year because of the condition of the ferry berth in Weymouth.

Councillors have been buoyed by comments in the Echo last week from Condor passenger director Ken Soar who said the company wanted to return to Weymouth next March once works have been completed.

Mr Soar said the firm saw Weymouth as the ‘gateway to the Channel Islands’.

The council’s management committee yesterday approved the implementation of phase one repairs to the quay wall, estimated at £2million and due to be completed in March.

A master plan is also being prepared to redevelop the ferry terminal in the long-term. Environment and sustainability spokesman Ian Roebuck said: “We can’t force Condor to come back but we can provide conditions which are in their interests to come back.

“Once we’ve done this, don’t think the job is completed. We have to continue to work in partnership for the future of the town.”

In response to questions from Coun Andy Blackwood about the timescale of the works and whether any contingency plan was in place, technical services manager Steve Woollard said: “We’re working to March 1 which is when sailings would resume.

“It’s very tight and there’s a degree of risk but we’re liaising with Condor.”

Committee chairman Mike Goodman said: “We have little choice but to repair the harbour wall.

“This repair is essential and we have to bite the bullet and go ahead so we’ll be in a better position.”

WHaT NEEDS DOING TO repair THE harbour wall

Repairs to the quay wall consist of advance works costing £250,000 to be finished before the Olympics.

This involves removing the walkway canopy, excavation work to relieve pressure on the quay wall, partial filling of the scour hole below the quay, ground investigations and setting up a hoarding to screen the site from the Olympic visitor area.

Main works costing £1.75million due to start in September involve demolishing existing quay structure including the departures building, constructing a new quay, complete filling of the scour hole and reinstating the departures building.

The council has set aside some funds for this work but capital works will probably be funded by borrowing from the government.

External funding through grants is also being investigated.