The Unofficial Weymouth & Portland 2012 Olympic Blog

The Dorset Echo has today broken the news that the Weymouth Eye tourist attraction, to be funded and run by Merlin Entertainments, the company behind Sea Life centres and the London Eye, have gained approval by town planners and is therefore clear to go ahead! I would like to add that personally I think this [...]

The contract with Skanska construction for construction of Weymouth’s long awaited and hotly disputed £84 million relief road is due to be completed at County Hall on Wednesday 13th June. Providing protestors don’t take the entire hall hostage to prevent the signing work should be due to commence early next year. The project has enjoyed [...]

They lost the battle but are determined not to lose the war… the relief road campaigners that is! Local MP Jim Knight warned of the plan following the revelation that the government could call a public enquiry over the long and disputed relief road which would give the campaigners the chance to use “every trick [...]

The £77 Million Weymouth relief road project got the green light today as councillors voted in favour of approval. Work on the new road is now due to begin next year however campaigners have vowed to keep fighting the decision. Our earlier post: Today is the day the final decision regarding the relief road will [...]

New information about the ideas for a light railway following the rodwell trail route have been released by engineer Andy Gaunt having received support from the local community. His plan was for Dorchester west railway station to be sold and create a Docklands light railway style link between Dorchester west and Weymouth quay however the [...]

The state of finances for the 2012 Olympic Games was placed under increasing scrutiny as organisers were placed under intensive pressure. The final agreed budget has still to be decided more than 18 months after winning the games, and as reported locally and nationally the estimates are spiralling out of control. The National Audit Office [...]

The South West Regional assembly have promised an increase of £18 million to Weymouth’s transport budget to help provide intelligent transport solutions in time for the 2012 games. These ‘intelligent transport systems’ include park-and-ride schemes, modernised buses, improved road junctions, computerised timetables (as you may have seen in Bournemouth). The recommendation now lies with the [...]

The company behind the Bridport based Brit-valley railway have made a bid to create a light railway link between Weymouth & Portland serving passengers and freight, said to be worth £60 million. The group is currently trying to secure scenic light railways across the Jurassic coast to boost tourism and would look to have the [...]

Website Open 4 Business has added a guide for local businesses planning to take advantage of the 2012 Olympic games, it covers actions that can started now in preparation right through to post game opportunities. The guide can be found on the Open4Business website.

Dorchester is being considered by Olympic chiefs to be used as a park and ride base, hoping visitors will adopt the system preventing their cars from adding to Weymouth’s already crippling congestion. West Dorset District Council recently have also been asked to support the recommendation in preparation for the 2012 games. Scheme details emerged due [...]