A car rental business, which will create jobs for eight people if approved, is asking to use part of the public car park near Weymouth rail station.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car has requested planning consent for a modular office building and a car wash bay to the rear of the station and includes the use of up to 38 parking spaces.

The business says it will mainly deal with customers who are renting a vehicle because their own is off the road for a short period, or in the garage for repair. They claim it will mean few late night or early morning returns and few vehicles kept on site as the business generally delivers vehicles to customers at home or work.

If approved the request will allow the company to operate 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.

A near-identical application was approved for the company in February 2019 but failed to get underway within the three-year time window.

That application received one letter of objection which claimed the application would put increased parking pressure on surrounding streets and increased congestion on King Street.

But planning officers said at the time that would not be the case as the business is sited within a car park which is under-used, away from the existing rail station car park which fronts King Street.

The latest application, Dorset Council reference 2022-05435, is open for public comment until September 26th.