Leaflet available on brewery site development

From the Echo, first published Tuesday 28th Oct 2003.

THE future of the historic Eldridge Pope site in Dorchester will be up for debate in early November.

Leaflets about a draft development brief featuring ideas for the former brewery will be distributed from November 3 onwards to give people the chance to have their say during a six-week consultation period.

Officers from West Dorset District Council will also be manning an exhibition at Dorchester market on November 12 to provide more information and ask shoppers for their views.

The move comes after the council mapped out general ideas for the triangular plot between Weymouth Avenue, Prince of Wales Road and the Weymouth to Waterloo railway line.

Gwyn Pritchard, council leader, said: "The Weymouth Avenue brewery site is a key area for Dorchester.

"We're keen to ensure that any development is appropriate and will benefit the town as a whole."

He added: "We want to gather the views of everyone involved so that the final brief offers an agreed vision of what should happen on the site in the future."

The draft brief features shops, cafes and housing but the council also wants to hear from such bodies as Dorchester Civic Society and Dorchester Town Council.

It also includes sections on access, open spaces, heritage and design and architecture.

Leaflets summarising the brief and a questionnaire are available from district council offices, Dorchester Library and the town's tourist information centre in Antelope Walk.

When finished, the development brief will provide guidance for potential developers as well as councillors and staff when they consider applications for the site.

Eldridge Pope sold the 11-acre site to Landworth Properties for £8.9 million in December 2002. The sale came after the historic family firm sold off the brewing arm of its business to concentrate on its pubs business.

The Thomas Hardy Brewery, which brewed beer and bottled drinks, moved out of the site after the sale went through.

The site, which includes grade two listed buildings and Victorian brewing halls, has been suggested as the ideal location for a World Heritage Coast centre.

Other ideas for the area include a coach park, bus station, housing, shops, link roads, an industrial and agricultural museum, a town square and a Roman history centre.

Andrew Wadsworth, director of Landworth Properties Dorchester Ltd, which is developing the site, said: "We welcome the opportunity for people to have their say on the Weymouth Avenue site.

"Obviously a site of this scale will take time for all the ideas to be looked at, but we look forward to future discussions with relevant parties in the coming months."

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