Portland: £25m homes development moves forward

New images have been unveiled as work continues on the £25 million Ocean Views development to build 348 homes on Portland.

The visual from landowner the Comer Group shows how the second phase of the landmark site at Castletown will look once completed.

The Comer Group and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council have been working closely together to take the project forward.

One of two former naval accommodation blocks has already been developed by the Comer Group at the site, with 206 flats in its Atlantic House scheme.

Developer Fulca, a Comer Group company, is set to transform the remaining building into 157 apartments. It will also develop 191 new build homes to the rear – making a total of 348 properties.

Site clearance, surveying, some demolition work, the creation of compounds and opening of offices has taken place.

Now project managers are finalising plans and preparing the site before the next phase of activity begins later this year with work on the concrete superstructure of the building.

Jack O’Brien, senior project manager for the Comer Group, said: “The project is on track and progressing very well.

“We hope these new images will serve to whet the appetite as we look forward to developing this landmark site to deliver much needed housing for the area.

“We have some innovative ideas for the delivery of the project, which include using modular construction and potential delivery by sea.

“The support and engagement of Weymouth & Portland Borough Council has been key in forwarding this development and we look forward to progressing the scheme.”

Land stabilisation of sections at the rear of the site has been supported by a successful preliminary bid of £2.8m to the Government Housing Infrastructure Funding (HIF) through Weymouth & Portland Borough Council’s Opening Doors housing programme.

The Comer Group says entirely non-combustible products with the highest A1 rating will be used for the cladding of the buildings.

It also intends to use latest modular construction methods to create custom-built pods for rooms including bathrooms and kitchens which can be slotted into the structure with laser-guided precision.

With fixtures and fittings such as lights and white goods already included, there would be fewer deliveries by land or sea and less waste on site from the goods and associated fitting work. Local labour would be used on the site, according to the Comer Group.

The progress comes after WPBC launched Opening Doors with West Dorset District Council and North Dorset District Council to secure 20,000 new homes for the combined areas by 2033.