Weymouth: North Quay demolition and harbour wall repairs

The demolition of the former council offices is set to conclude today with as the last remaining pieces to come down..

A 50ft excavator has been meticulously pulling the structure down for several weeks and now just one small corner of the back wall remains.

Weymouth residents took a moment to stop and take pictures and watch as the heavy machinery ripped chunks out of the building.

Only a small corner of the back wall remains a (Image: Andy Jones)

One woman spoke to the Echo about her husband worked in the old council building when it opened.

She said: "It's very sad, I don't know why they couldn't reuse the building.

"I hope they build some shops and cafes along the front - it has a wonderful view.

"My husband use to work there, he was one of the first in - he had a great view of the harbour and sea."

Another on looker  described it as a 'sad moment' as they had grown up with the building 'always being there'.

Whilst a third person added: "It's a shame to see it go, but something had to be done with it as it had been empty for so many years."

The sun is about to set on the old council offices in Weymouth (Image: Andy Jones)

A £19.5 million cash injection to help rejuvenate Weymouth was granted to Dorset Council through the government’s levelling up fund, and the harbour side at North Quay is one of three locations that will benefit from the grant.

READ: Levelling Up grant to aid demolition of Weymouth's North Quay office

Once the council office building has been demolished, work can start on crushing and recycling the debris before a temporary car park is built in its place.

Weymouth mayor, Cllr Kate Wheller, said: “I am very pleased to see the work has progressed trouble free and there have been no undue delays.

READ: Weymouth's residents welcome North Quay demolition

“We hope now that the creation of the car park will go on equally smoothly and as quickly as possible negotiations can take place for the development for the site.”

The Echo has previously reported that luxury homes and commercial units could be built on the site after plans were revealed by the council in 2021.

READ How North Quay Weymouth has changed over the years

As part of the redevelopment of the area, much needed repairs to the harbour wall are also underway, which is being carried out by the same contactors working on the demolition.

£1.5 million of the Levelling up Fund has been allocated to the repairs that will see necessary wall replacement, repair and maintenance for the 235-metre stretch of wall running from Town Bridge along Trinity Road.

Currently, workers are starting to investigate the damage to the wall to fully understand what needs to be done at each point.

A temporary wall has been set up and water pumped out to allow for workers to gain access to the wall (Image: Andy Jones)

The council estimated in September that the cost of the work would come to around £800,000 excluding VAT.

Some of Trinity Road has been partially blocked off to allow pedestrians to walk safely along the harbour side as workers require access from the pavement.

A digger was seen clearing rocks and debris from the along the harbour wall (Image: Andy Jones)

A digger has been scene clearing rocks and a section of the wall has been made accessible by setting up a temporary wall and water being pumped out to allow for scaffolding to be erected.

The work is expected to be completed by spring this year, around a similar time to the temporary car park.