Weymouth is a great coastal resort, with a great beach. The Which Review gave Weymouth 5* for both its beach and seafront, whilst the Rough Guide stated that “It’s worth a visit for the fine sandy beach alone”. But surveys suggest that for holiday makers, a great beach is no longer enough. They are looking for places with ‘authenticity’, places which demonstrate their heritage, nature, culture, and wider sustainability.
Fortunately, Weymouth seafront’s royal heritage, together with its proximity to the harbour, historic town centre, marina, nature reserves and other attractions means it is well placed to benefit from these trends. The masterplan considers ways in which Weymouth seafront can make the best possible use of these assets, to attract visitors, support local businesses and provide the best possible social and leisure facilities for local residents.
The report was commissioned by Weymouth Town Council in 2022 and is focused very specifically on the seafront and promenade. The masterplan considers ways in which Weymouth can make the best possible use of its seafront assets – the extensive sandy beach, heritage, nature and culture – to attract visitors, support local businesses and provide the best possible social and leisure facilities for local residents.
The masterplan proposals are benchmarked against; Sustainability, Wellbeing, Heritage, Authenticity, Connectivity and Broadening Appeal. Objectives, developed based on priorities established through the public and stakeholder engagement process, findings from the initial site appraisals, and are factors that are increasingly important in driving seaside tourism.
Proposals promote the seafront as three distinct character areas, each approximately 1km in length, showcasing their different qualities and considering each a destination in its own right.
An online public survey, housed on a dedicated site ran for 4 weeks during the consultation period, receiving over 2200 responses from residents of Weymouth and visitors to the town, helping shape the masterplan proposals.
Town Beach
Town Beach is the most ‘popular’ area of the seafront. The survey results have shown that many visitors to the seafront also visit Weymouth Harbour and Town Centre. Maintaining the vibrancy of this part of the seafront is therefore important for local businesses across the town centre. The masterplan considers how this can be achieved through maximising the amount of sandy beach, increasing Increasing opportunities for existing businesses and creating opportunities for new traders not currently represented, and improving physical and visual connections between the seafront, the harbour, and town centre.
Greenhill Beach
The heritage of this area, whilst less grand than the Royal terraces to the south, retains a distinctive ‘vintage’ quality with the Victorian gardens, the beach huts and the attractive buildings which front it. The masterplan considers that this area could benefit from:
• broadening the appeal of Greenhill Gardens whislt retaining its Victorian heritage though: removing fencing and barriers to improve accessibility; enhancing plant biodiversity; and creating opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore, play, and interact with the natural environment.
• considering new and additional uses for the underutilised tennis courts such asi a multi-use games area, community gardens, flexible space for pop-ups and events, and a seasonal cafe offering taking advantage of some of the best seafront views available in the resort.
Natural Beach
Extending from The Front Skatepark to The Oasis cafe at Overcombe, Natural Beach is an attractive natural area of Weymouth and the objective is to make it feel more comfortable to spend time in without impacting on the qualities which differentiate it from the rest of the seafront area. Masterplan proposals include natural play features to the make the area more attractive for families, a natural ‘boardwalk’ style planting area to extend the promenade and potentially create space for additional facilities such as a seasonal cafe, watersports and other activities which encourage visits outside the peak holiday season, and viewing areas to promote the RSPB nature reserve.
