MFA Bowl: Weymouth bowling alley to be demolished

The 18-lane bowling alley closed down in 2019

A former bowling alley in a seaside town will be knocked down in an attempt to revamp the area.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of demolishing the MFA Bowl building on St Nicholas Street in Weymouth at a meeting on Thursday.

The land will be levelled and used as a temporary 149-space car park while development plans are finalised, Dorset Council confirmed.

Work is expected to begin later this year.

A planning application to demolish the building was submitted by Dorset Council in January

The authority has not yet revealed plans for the land, although previous proposals have involved building homes.

It said the green light for demolition marked the "next step in the council's regeneration plans for Weymouth's waterside economy".

Levelling Up Funding amounting to £19.5m was awarded to the town by the government in 2023.

The money was allocated for new homes and a new leisure-led waterfront complex.

The bowling alley is situated near Weymouth harbour

About £400,000 from the fund will be used to demolish the bowling alley and create the temporary car park.

It confirmed the car park, which is expected to be a source of income for the authority, was a "short-term" measure.

"Weymouth Bowl is one of several key areas in the town selected for development, including the site at North Quay where the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council offices stood, the peninsula, the piece of land currently used as car parking beyond the pavilion and land to the west of the marina," the council added.

The bowling alley will be knocked down later in the year

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