Weymouth Town Council has approved a business plan outlining how the Tumbledown project will transform a site in Weymouth to create a sustainable and inclusive community asset.
At the latest Full Town Council Committee meeting, members discussed and agreed details for the Tumbledown project. The project aims to bring the land back in to use in a sustainable way that will hugely benefit the local community.
Weymouth Town Council has partnered with Weymouth Area Development Trust (WADT) to develop these plans and manage the successful delivery of the project going forward.
Results from a 2019 public consultation were used to identify key themes for the project. These include growing local food, providing opportunities for local people to access the space to improve health and wellbeing, harvesting of natural resources to promote sustainability and exploring income streams, such as food produce and growing plants in an on-site nursery.
Another focus outlined in the business plan is to use the space for a range of educational purposes. The intention is to offer facilities for people of all ages, needs and abilities. This will include working with local schools, colleges, and childcare providers, local community groups and adult social care. It may also provide alternative provision to meet the needs of local children at risk of, or excluded from school by offering alternative educational activities beyond the classroom.
Cllr Jon Orrell commented:
“We’re excited about the benefits this project will offer the community. There has been promising progress already on site, thanks to the hard work of the project team and fantastic volunteers.
We encourage community participation with the project and value any contribution. We want Tumbledown to be a versatile space, connecting people with a place where their needs can be met.”
Clive Tuck, Project Development Manager explains ‘The Tumbledown area covers around 10 hectares of land in total. Within the site there is an area that is designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), two woodlands, an orchard and three fields. There are also several existing outbuildings on the land, one of which have already been renovated and is ready for use. We are now continuing with groundworks and other tasks around infrastructure on the site to provide safe access and the building blocks needed for ongoing progress towards the next phases of development.’
Tumbledown encourages community participation to create a connection between people and a place where their needs can be met and their contributions are valued.
You can find out more about the project, opportunities to get involved and sign up for updates on the Weymouth Town Council website or at WADT Website