WITH reference to the recent story highlighting the decline of Weymouth (‘Resort allowed to decay through years of neglect’).

It is patently obvious that the borough of Weymouth and Portland went into serious decline in the mid-80s and was exacerbated with the departure of the Royal Navy and associated research organisations and facilities in the 1990s.

The response from successive civic leaders and local politicians to this, albeit deeply challenging problem, has quite frankly been less than successful.

Successive Local Plans, which promised bread today and jam tomorrow on numerous occasions, has never materialised into anything meaningful or longterm.

Other towns and cities along the south coast faced similar problems but have managed to reinvent themselves and are now thriving eg embracing the digital economy, becoming a university town.

So maybe one solution to Weymouth and Portland’s ails would be the creation of a non-political, independent, development corporation, and the designation of the borough as a coastal ‘New Town’ (without of course the building blight of the 1960s and 70s)?

And which the raison d’être would the growth and economic development of the area, taking into consideration of course the historic areas of the Borough and building upon its natural and legacy assets.

One thing is for sure, the present situation is completely unacceptable and radical steps are needed to reverse the 30- year decline that has ravaged this historic and important borough.

So, a good start would be the complete and ambitious regeneration of the central Weymouth area, and the use of large tracts of prime waterfront land for uses other than for the motor vehicle.

The time for action is now and not 10-20 years in the future.

JEREMY BULL

Khartoum Road, Weymouth

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