Project Updates
19th Dec - West Bay Hub OPEN to the public!
The new bespoke benches designed by artist Michael Pinsky have been installed by crane at the West Bay hub. The benches are designed to reflect the curves and shapes of the local land and sea scape. They provide plenty of space for people to sit and enjoy local food with a great view; a place to relax with family and friends.
The open space in the centre allows for uninterrupted views across the harbour and river. In the middle, a bronze plaque made locally by Bridport Foundry has been installed, featuring points of the compass and signposting to locations in West Bay.
The benches also provide a backdrop to showcase the many motorbikes which regularly gather at West Bay. Bikes are encouraged to park around the outside of the benches, keeping the inner circle free for visitors and residents to sit, relax and eat away from the traffic.
November 2019
Contractors were back at the Welcome Hub site on the last week of November to complete the last phase of the improvement works. Western Power started on site first and over the next couple of weeks will lower and re-cable a raised link box. The bespoke circular benches are due to be installed on the 9th December, followed by the bronze central orientation feature and the outer area which is currently tarmac, will be laid with a durable aggregate resin surface. It is planned that all works on the hub will be completed by Christmas, weather permitting.
Photo of a section of the circular cast concrete bench
October 2019
Dorset Highways team plan to be back on site on the 29th November to install the new circular seating and a central bronze orientation feature. Western Power Distribution will be on site prior to this in November to lower the raised electric link box, after which Highways can replace the damaged kerbs and lay the resin bound aggregate surface to the outer circle. The area will need to be closed again for a few days for these works to take place. We also plan to add bike racks for cyclists to lock their bikes to. Weather and other variables permitting, it is hoped that all welcome hub works will be completed by the end of December.
June 2019
Ground surfacing is progressing well with the paving and concreting to create the circular design and radiating lines now complete. Contractor, Dorset Highways, pressed on during rece
nt wet weather to complete the ground surfacing and re-opened the hub area on 25th June. The tarmac on the outer circle is a temporary surface and will be replaced with a permanent resin bound aggregate surface after the seating has been installed.
Installation of the hub’s artist-designed circular seating has been delayed due to additional modelling requirements needed by the fabricator for their casting process. The completed design will also include a central bronze orientation feature. The seating’s cast concrete mould and central feature are both currently being made and will be ready to be installed after the summer holiday period. Until this time, most of the contractor’s barriers have been taken down (there are some temporary low-level barriers where the seating will be located), and the hub can now be used by everyone and motorcycles can park here again. Work to install the seating, central feature, and lay the resin bound aggregate surface to the outer circle, will require the area to be closed again for a few days in early September.
April 2019
Construction begins on the Welcome Hub this month, from 23rd April until 28th June. Alternative motorcycle parking is being provided on Bank Holidays and Sundays at East Pier while the work is taking place. The design has developed and will now also include a central orientation feature in the form of a circular cast bronze plaque, made locally by Bridport Foundry. The design of the seating has been tested by creating a polystyrene prototype of a section of the seating.
Landscape architect Aileen Shackell, artist Michael Pinsky and Cleo Evans from the Arts Development Company try out the West Bay 'hub' seat prototype
Also as part of this project, new panels have been installed outside of the Salt House and at the end of the pier.
February 2019
Find more about the West Bay Coastal Defence Improvement scheme works on Wednesday 13th February at The Salt House, West Bay. Drop-in anytime between 2-7pm to talk to the contractors, engineers and project managers, who will be on hand to tell you more about the planned coastal defence works that will be happening in West Bay.
The Welcome Hub project team will also be at this community event to update you on the planned works and designs for the 'hub' seating and motorcycle parking area.
January 2019
Planned construction of the new ‘hub’ seating area will be carried out by Dorset County Council Highways and is scheduled to start after Easter 2019 on the 23rd April with completion by the end of June. There are no planned road closures during this time, however, the site will be fenced off and will be out of use during construction. On occasions there will be large equipment on site with a temporary road block for one day (date to be confirmed) whilst a crane lifts the seating into place. Motorcycle parking will not be available on site during construction, however, contingency is currently being investigated.
October 2018
The design for the Welcome Hub is progressing towards a more developed design and we now have a proposed landscape design for the 'hub' which can be viewed here.
It is planned that construction will commence after Easter with completion by the end of June 2019, however, this will depend the final design and the materials used in the design.
Computer generated drawing of circular bench
Community Consultation
The community consultation was well attended in July 2018 with lots of comments from West Bay residents, visitors, local businesses - thank you to those who provided a comment. All the feedback has been collated and reviewed by the project team, who will continue to liaise with West Dorset District Council, Bridport Town Council and Dorset County Council Highways team to incorporate feedback and further develop the concept into a more developed design.
You can view the Community Consultation Feedback Report and Responses to Key Concerns for the engagement events that took place in July 2018.
What are the proposed concepts for the Welcome Hub?
The West Bay Welcome Hub will be a central, attractive, user-friendly area for everyone to enjoy. Artist Michael Pinsky is working with the project team to develop concept designs for the planned 'welcome hub' area between the George pub, the harbour and the seafood kiosks.
Taking into account the wide range of uses this space has across the week and across the year, Michael has been keen to make sure there is space for everyone, and that the surrounding businesses and open spaces are connected through this central space. The aim for this project is that this small area of ground should provide space to sit and enjoy local food with a great view, a space to share your experience with friends and family.
Overview of proposed stone bench
The proposal for the ‘central hub’ area is a stone bench concept which has been designed to provide an open space in the centre to allow for uninterrupted views across the harbour and river. The bench also provides a backdrop to showcase the many motorbikes which regularly gather in West Bay whilst providing an unencumbered space for other visitors and residents to sit and eat away from the traffic. Each bench has a sitting area that both looks inwards and outwards so bikers can sit with a clear view of their bikes and conversations can be shared between visitors, residents and bikers. The benches aim to suggest the coastal form of West Bay nestling amongst the cliffs.
A possible option would be to delineate the motorbike parking with an insert of stone replicating colours from different parts of the cliffs along the Jurassic Coast.
Smaller benches extended from planting pods could be provided around the larger bench area.
The views drawn with canopies show the space on event days when the hub area would be used for performances, markets and picnics. The canopy options are temporary and would only be used for special events during the summer.
Canopy option 1
Canopy options 2
Canopy option 3
We are keen to know your views and thoughts on the proposed stone bench, motorcycle parking, additional seating with planting and canopy option for the West Bay Welcome Hub. Your comments have been collated for the project team to influence further development of the design and help shape the final design.
Background
Developing a Welcome Hub at West Bay was part of the ‘Coastal Connections - people and places’ bid to the Coastal Communities Fund, and will receive £133,000 towards its costs from this successful bid, granted in April 2017. The remainder of the funding, around £16,000 is being provided by Dorset County Council. The project partner leading on this project is Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Following the initial community consultation events held in July & August 2017 the Welcome Hub has been positively received by the community with a wide range of comments and suggestions. Both residents and visitors to West Bay highlighting a strong view to maintain seating and motorbike parking in this area, to remove the concrete blocks that are currently there and replace with attractive surfacing. A brief online forum to discuss Michael’s initial concepts earlier this year helped the team understand views on these initial concepts and influenced the addition of more softer seating, planting and canopy options.
International artist Michael Pinsky was appointed in November 2017 to shape the improvements for the West Bay Welcome Hub. To ensure that all current projects taking place in West Bay work well together and create a more cohesive feel to West Bay, Michael is also the artist working on the East Beach Access, the West Bay Cycle Access and enhancements to West Beach promenade.
Project Updates
19th Dec - West Bay Hub OPEN to the public!
The new bespoke benches designed by artist Michael Pinsky have been installed by crane at the West Bay hub. The benches are designed to reflect the curves and shapes of the local land and sea scape. They provide plenty of space for people to sit and enjoy local food with a great view; a place to relax with family and friends.
The open space in the centre allows for uninterrupted views across the harbour and river. In the middle, a bronze plaque made locally by Bridport Foundry has been installed, featuring points of the compass and signposting to locations in West Bay.
The benches also provide a backdrop to showcase the many motorbikes which regularly gather at West Bay. Bikes are encouraged to park around the outside of the benches, keeping the inner circle free for visitors and residents to sit, relax and eat away from the traffic.
November 2019
Contractors were back at the Welcome Hub site on the last week of November to complete the last phase of the improvement works. Western Power started on site first and over the next couple of weeks will lower and re-cable a raised link box. The bespoke circular benches are due to be installed on the 9th December, followed by the bronze central orientation feature and the outer area which is currently tarmac, will be laid with a durable aggregate resin surface. It is planned that all works on the hub will be completed by Christmas, weather permitting.
Photo of a section of the circular cast concrete bench
October 2019
Dorset Highways team plan to be back on site on the 29th November to install the new circular seating and a central bronze orientation feature. Western Power Distribution will be on site prior to this in November to lower the raised electric link box, after which Highways can replace the damaged kerbs and lay the resin bound aggregate surface to the outer circle. The area will need to be closed again for a few days for these works to take place. We also plan to add bike racks for cyclists to lock their bikes to. Weather and other variables permitting, it is hoped that all welcome hub works will be completed by the end of December.
June 2019
Ground surfacing is progressing well with the paving and concreting to create the circular design and radiating lines now complete. Contractor, Dorset Highways, pressed on during recent wet weather to complete the ground surfacing and re-opened the hub area on 25th June. The tarmac on the outer circle is a temporary surface and will be replaced with a permanent resin bound aggregate surface after the seating has been installed.
Installation of the hub’s artist-designed circular seating has been delayed due to additional modelling requirements needed by the fabricator for their casting process. The completed design will also include a central bronze orientation feature. The seating’s cast concrete mould and central feature are both currently being made and will be ready to be installed after the summer holiday period. Until this time, most of the contractor’s barriers have been taken down (there are some temporary low-level barriers where the seating will be located), and the hub can now be used by everyone and motorcycles can park here again. Work to install the seating, central feature, and lay the resin bound aggregate surface to the outer circle, will require the area to be closed again for a few days in early September.
April 2019
Construction begins on the Welcome Hub this month, from 23rd April until 28th June. Alternative motorcycle parking is being provided on Bank Holidays and Sundays at East Pier while the work is taking place. The design has developed and will now also include a central orientation feature in the form of a circular cast bronze plaque, made locally by Bridport Foundry. The design of the seating has been tested by creating a polystyrene prototype of a section of the seating.
Landscape architect Aileen Shackell, artist Michael Pinsky and Cleo Evans from the Arts Development Company try out the West Bay 'hub' seat prototype
Also as part of this project, new panels have been installed outside of the Salt House and at the end of the pier.
February 2019
Find more about the West Bay Coastal Defence Improvement scheme works on Wednesday 13th February at The Salt House, West Bay. Drop-in anytime between 2-7pm to talk to the contractors, engineers and project managers, who will be on hand to tell you more about the planned coastal defence works that will be happening in West Bay.
The Welcome Hub project team will also be at this community event to update you on the planned works and designs for the 'hub' seating and motorcycle parking area.
January 2019
Planned construction of the new ‘hub’ seating area will be carried out by Dorset County Council Highways and is scheduled to start after Easter 2019 on the 23rd April with completion by the end of June. There are no planned road closures during this time, however, the site will be fenced off and will be out of use during construction. On occasions there will be large equipment on site with a temporary road block for one day (date to be confirmed) whilst a crane lifts the seating into place. Motorcycle parking will not be available on site during construction, however, contingency is currently being investigated.
October 2018
The design for the Welcome Hub is progressing towards a more developed design and we now have a proposed landscape design for the 'hub' which can be viewed here.
It is planned that construction will commence after Easter with completion by the end of June 2019, however, this will depend the final design and the materials used in the design.
Computer generated drawing of circular bench
Community Consultation
The community consultation was well attended in July 2018 with lots of comments from West Bay residents, visitors, local businesses - thank you to those who provided a comment. All the feedback has been collated and reviewed by the project team, who will continue to liaise with West Dorset District Council, Bridport Town Council and Dorset County Council Highways team to incorporate feedback and further develop the concept into a more developed design.
You can view the Community Consultation Feedback Report and Responses to Key Concerns for the engagement events that took place in July 2018.
What are the proposed concepts for the Welcome Hub?
The West Bay Welcome Hub will be a central, attractive, user-friendly area for everyone to enjoy. Artist Michael Pinsky is working with the project team to develop concept designs for the planned 'welcome hub' area between the George pub, the harbour and the seafood kiosks.
Taking into account the wide range of uses this space has across the week and across the year, Michael has been keen to make sure there is space for everyone, and that the surrounding businesses and open spaces are connected through this central space. The aim for this project is that this small area of ground should provide space to sit and enjoy local food with a great view, a space to share your experience with friends and family.
Overview of proposed stone bench
The proposal for the ‘central hub’ area is a stone bench concept which has been designed to provide an open space in the centre to allow for uninterrupted views across the harbour and river. The bench also provides a backdrop to showcase the many motorbikes which regularly gather in West Bay whilst providing an unencumbered space for other visitors and residents to sit and eat away from the traffic. Each bench has a sitting area that both looks inwards and outwards so bikers can sit with a clear view of their bikes and conversations can be shared between visitors, residents and bikers. The benches aim to suggest the coastal form of West Bay nestling amongst the cliffs.
A possible option would be to delineate the motorbike parking with an insert of stone replicating colours from different parts of the cliffs along the Jurassic Coast.
Smaller benches extended from planting pods could be provided around the larger bench area.
The views drawn with canopies show the space on event days when the hub area would be used for performances, markets and picnics. The canopy options are temporary and would only be used for special events during the summer.
Canopy option 1
Canopy options 2
Canopy option 3
We are keen to know your views and thoughts on the proposed stone bench, motorcycle parking, additional seating with planting and canopy option for the West Bay Welcome Hub. Your comments have been collated for the project team to influence further development of the design and help shape the final design.
Background
Developing a Welcome Hub at West Bay was part of the ‘Coastal Connections - people and places’ bid to the Coastal Communities Fund, and will receive £133,000 towards its costs from this successful bid, granted in April 2017. The remainder of the funding, around £16,000 is being provided by Dorset County Council. The project partner leading on this project is Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Following the initial community consultation events held in July & August 2017 the Welcome Hub has been positively received by the community with a wide range of comments and suggestions. Both residents and visitors to West Bay highlighting a strong view to maintain seating and motorbike parking in this area, to remove the concrete blocks that are currently there and replace with attractive surfacing. A brief online forum to discuss Michael’s initial concepts earlier this year helped the team understand views on these initial concepts and influenced the addition of more softer seating, planting and canopy options.
International artist Michael Pinsky was appointed in November 2017 to shape the improvements for the West Bay Welcome Hub. To ensure that all current projects taking place in West Bay work well together and create a more cohesive feel to West Bay, Michael is also the artist working on the East Beach Access, the West Bay Cycle Access and enhancements to West Beach promenade.
