DORCHESTER Arts is on the move after being welcomed in by the town council.

Members of Dorchester Town Council backed plans for the arts organisation to move into its Municipal Buildings at a special meeting.

Dorchester Arts has been looking for a temporary home as The Maltings Theatre at Brewery Square is developed and the £10million to fund the facility is raised.

It will move from its present base at the Grove School building in School Lane to the Municipal Buildings for at least three years from this May.

A presentation made to councillors by Dorchester Arts artistic director Mark Tattersall and town clerk Adrian Stuart outlined how the move was aimed at boosting the town centre presence of the organisation ahead of its move to the 450-seat theatre at Brewery Square while it would also increase the usage of the Municipal Buildings.

Dorchester Arts will aim to significantly increase the number of events it holds at the Corn Exchange, with the amount expected to rise from 20 to 70 in the first year.

Part of the move will also see Dorchester Arts hire out the Magistrates Room to use as its administrative hub and ticket office.

Mr Tattersall said the move would give Dorchester Arts a more visible town centre presence, which would help to support its fundraising efforts.

The organisation will also take over the running of the bar, which it sees as a key stream of income.

Mr Tattersall said: “We believe that moving to the Municipal Buildings is a stepping stone.

“We have always craved that town centre presence.

“We think that by moving to the town centre we can build audiences and build participation, and build anticipation for our future plans.”

Mr Stuart insisted regular hirers of the Corn Exchange would be unaffected by the plans while users of the Magistrates Room could be accommodated elsewhere in the building.

He also said the building could also cater for some of the current users of the Dorchester Arts Centre at The Grove.

Cllr Gareth Jones said he had concerns about the impact the move would have on the long term plans for the building while delivering only a modest income to the town council.

He said: “This is our home and this is where we want to be for many hundreds of years to come.”

Cllr Molly Rennie responded: “This is our home but I think as well as being our home it’s Dorchester’s village hall.”

She added: “I think this is an opportunity for us to keep this building and to have people in it every day.”

Cllr Tony Lyall raised concerns about the finances of the move and also said it could be significantly longer before The Maltings was ready.

However, the majority of councillors voted in favour of the move.