Sixty extra temporary car park spaces could be created on the former North Quay council offices after demolition.

The proposal is contained in a planning consent which has been submitted for the removal of the building.

Existing car parks, either side of the building, would also be retained on a temporary basis – giving the site a total of around 190 spaces.

The application allows for some archaeological investigation – but warns that because of the nature of the site and wartime bombing in the area there may be little left which is intact.

Dorset Council’s senior archaeologist says: “This site was an integral part of historic Weymouth prior to the bombing, which leads into the potential for survival of below-ground archaeological remains associated with the early development of the town here. Undoubtedly much disturbance took place as a result of bombing and the later development of the site, but remains may well survive on parts of the site…

“The presence of a substantial building on the site at present probably makes prior archaeological evaluation unfeasible, but nevertheless in my opinion it is important that those archaeological remains that would be affected by the development are properly recorded.”

A tree report suggests that some should be protected by boarding while the demolition takes place. During that phase the pavement in front of the building may need to be temporarily closed for safety reasons, along with the car parks.

Eventually there will be 111 new homes on the site, all of them ‘affordable’.

The demolition and site clearance will be funded with a Homes England £2.5 million grant, announced at the beginning of June.

Parts of the four-storey building, which was officially opened in June 1971 by Princess Anne, may be recycled. Dorset Council, which owns the building, says it hopes to re-use the Portland stone cladding, and says it is committed to re-using as much of other materials from the building as it can.

It is expected that, apart from some preparation work, nothing of any significance will happen on the site until the winter with the target of spring 2020 for completion of the demolition and site clearance.

Public comments on the demolition application are open until the end of July.

Crime against heritage if full site not investigated

by Sam Beamish

Local historian Mark Vine said ‘it would be a crime against the heritage of Weymouth’ if an extensive archaeological excavation of the site didn’t go ahead.

Mr Vine runs a local group called Dig the Street, which wants to see a dig on the site in order to learn more about the town’s history.

Mr Vine said: “I have never heard of a bomb actually falling on the old High Street. That’s not to say it didn’t happen. The bomb which devastated the area landed on Chapelhay and apparently caused a large landslide down into the old High Street. I can’t really see how this would affect the archaeology there.”

Mr Vine also believes there should be a dig under the car park adjacent to the building before it is demolished.

He added: “It would be a crime against the heritage of Weymouth not to investigate it all to the maximum extent.”

Mr Vine’s calls for an archaeological dig have been backed by TV historian Dan Snow, who previously told the Echo: “It would be a tragedy if this opportunity was lost to investigate the history of one of England’s most important ports.”