Areas of Weymouth, Portland and Wool have been put forward by Dorset Council as potential investment zones.

The council has submitted three expressions of interest to the Government.

It says it has identified several regeneration sites in Weymouth around the waterside at Weymouth harbour and marina. The proposal is to redevelop disused and under-developed sites to provide homes and jobs, with opportunities for commercial and leisure developments.

The port area of Portland has been submitted, with the council saying it offers opportunities for commercial and business operations, and a residential site in Castletown.

It stressed that the proposed location for an incinerator at Portland Port, currently going through the planning process, is 'explicitly excluded' from the expression of interest, adding: "The decision on the incinerator is subject to the independent planning process and will be unaffected by any proposal for an Investment Zone."

In Wool, a site adjacent to the existing Dorset Innovation Park has been put forward to 'build on the success there' by offering 'further investment and development opportunities' for key sectors including advanced engineering and manufacturing.

Investment zones come with tax breaks for potential investors and what the Government claims will be 'simplified, reduced regulation and planning processes. The aim is to attract new investment to create jobs.

It is not yet known when the Government will announce decisions on expressions of interest for investment zones.

Cllr Tony Ferrari, portfolio holder for economic growth, assets and property at Dorset Council, said: “We have submitted three strong expressions of interest for possible Investment Zones. We welcome any opportunity to attract investment, improve infrastructure, and create jobs here in Dorset. The three proposed locations offer great potential for economic development and are suitable for this kind of activity.

“However, I should also say that we have received only limited detail so far from government about how Investment Zones will work. Our expressions of interest do not represent a commitment by government or by Dorset Council. We await further detail from government so we can assess the potential pros and cons of an investment zone before making any formal commitment following council processes.”

There has been some scepticism over investment zones and how they might work.

As reported by the Echo last week, wildlife charity the RSPB launched a campaign calling the proposed investment zones 'an unnecessary attack on nature"; the organisation claimed proposed liberalisation to planning regulations could damage areas of natural beauty. This was rebuked by West Dorset MP Chris Loder, who said: "The RSPB (is) going so far as to proclaim the plan as an ‘attack on nature’ which could not be further from reality - there is no suggestion that this would impact the environmental protections afforded by our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and were strengthened in the Environment Act only months ago."