Weymouth Ferry proposals 'will not be moving forward'
Weymouth Town Council says it is disappointed
Proposals that could have seen the return of Weymouth's cross-channel ferry will not be going ahead.
The town's last sailing took place in 2015 before Condor Ferries moved its service to Poole.
Last week Dorset Council announced it had received an outline proposal to test the viability of a potential future ferry service.
But Weymouth Town Council has announced the plans will not be going ahead.
Cllr David Harris, Leader of Weymouth Town Council:
"Weymouth Town Council is disappointed that talks about the possibility of bringing back a ferry service to Weymouth from the Channel Islands will not be moving forward at this stage. Although a very positive relationship has been built up with a ferry operator, there was just not enough time to complete the feasibility studies needed to draft a full business case in the timescales.
"We understand that Dorset Council cannot be expected to invest in its harbour and peninsular site without a full and detailed look at the ferry company offer and how its plans might impact on future developments at the peninsular. The offer from the ferry company is for a relatively limited service of one ferry a week for just 30 weeks of the year which does not support our aim of being an all the year-round resort.
"For clarity, I would like to say that the sea trials spoken about at meetings were a single sailing just to check the access issues and were never about a trial passenger service being run this year. A test of access is needed to inform the feasibility study to determine what work would be needed to the linkspan if the project moved forward.
"We hope that one last effort could be made through a direct discussion between the operator and Dorset Council to see if an agreement satisfactory to both parties might be possible. We look forward to working with Dorset Council in the future on ensuring the redevelopment of the peninsula site brings the best outcomes for Weymouth residents and visitors alike."