PROPOSALS to develop a Portland site owned by Dorset Council is being held up by an over-arching review of the authority’s portfolio of land and property.

Portland Community Land Trust says it is keen to develop housing on the site of a derelict property, owned by the council, on the High Street.

The site was bought by the authority, using its compulsory purchase powers, after it fell into disrepair.

The Trust says it has been trying to progress the demolition of the building and re-development of the site for a number of years and is asking if the council can decide the future of the site in advance of its overall review of properties and land it owns.

But Cabinet portfolio holder for the project Cllr Tony Ferrari says the scheme will have to wait until the larger review is completed.

“The first action for the Council after it has identified its assets is to undertake an evaluation exercise to determine whether they are to be retained, retained and developed or disposed of.

"This particular property will be considered as part of that programme from which a decision will be made as to the best approach in dealing with this particular asset and an assessment made of the timescales in which this can be achieved,” he told a meeting of the Cabinet this week.