Dorset Council voted for a second time in favour of the planning application for Weymouth Gateway by LondonMetric Property plc and Avercet Property this morning – this time unanimously.
Our first appearance in front of this committee for this application occurred in March, which saw Dorset Council vote in favour despite an objection by Weymouth Town Council.
Since then, the applicant has submitted some revisions to the scheme which allows it to better support ongoing negotiations with prospective occupiers. Whilst we were confident that the benefits of the scheme were at least as good as those previously welcomed by the planning committee we were anxious to ensure that all key stakeholders ‘came with us’ on the slightly deviated journey towards development, and remained trusting of the applicants and the scheme’s merits.
As before, we worked closely with our clients and planning consultants Montagu Evans to monitor the grapevine for anxious comment, reassure decision-makers of the applicant’s intentions and corporate character, and encourage our community champions to advocate on our behalf.
We were encouraged that the Town Council submitted a ‘no objection’ response this time. But the proof is always in the eating of the committee pudding – and we are absolutely delighted that we not only baked another great cake today, but that we served it up with a unanimous cherry on top!
