News & Events

DCF eNews February 2021
Posted : February 11, 2021

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DCF NEWS

• The new design for Weymouth Station Gateway Project is making good progress and is welcoming, attractive, contemporary and focuses on pedestrian access and safety. The station will have a sustainable transport hub and the provision of better interpretation and wayfinding. The design is being developed to a more detailed level as we work through the permissions to implement.  We hope to share the design drawings with the wider public as this phase moves towards planning and construction.
• The Dorset Harbours Strategy is moving forward, and we are now at the stage of consulting with the Harbour Consultative Groups on the draft mission, vision and strategic goals, followed by consultation with the harbour users and then with the wider communities.

FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT WORK

• Kingston Maurward will be launching their Level 3 Marine Aquaculture in September 2021 which is equivalent to A-Level qualifications. Martin has been working closely with the college and aquaculture sector to make sure the course trains the workforce of the future and meets the unique needs of the sector in Dorset. The course is aimed at young people and people already working in the sector who are looking for extra training and to boost their career. You can find out more about the course on the Kingston Maurward website here.
• At the South West Aquaculture Network (SWAN) meeting on January 19th, Martin was elected as Chair, again for the next 12 months. SWAN’s focus has always been to develop cross sector, collaborative projects and Martin will now work with Maritime UK South West to develop some significant funding opportunities for the aquaculture sector. If you would like to join the Network or find out more, please contact Martin.
• The MMO announced a £23 million fund to help the fisheries sector overcome the changes to exporting rules post Brexit. The fund is targeted at SME’s and businesses that can demonstrate losses due to the change in regulations. This fund is now open and the application closing date is 28 February, as ever Martin will be available to help with applications and project development once the fund is in place. More info on the MMO website here.
• On January 13th, Martin presented at the national Aquaculture Common Issues Group meeting hosted by Seafish, highlighting the working in aquaculture that has been done over the last four years in Dorset and the Southwest. The online events are free and if you would like to attend future events, please contact Seafish directly via the website here and you can download a copy of Martin’s presentation from the same website here.

LITTER FREE COAST AND SEA (LFCS)

• LFCS plan to run the Great Dorset Beach Clean between 29 – 30 May 2021 this year to align with the Keep Britain Tidy Great British Spring Clean (we are hoping life might be a little more normal by May). More information on this to follow.
• We are also currently doing a lot of work preparing for our summer campaigns. We would like to run a new and improved version of the Slam Dunk the Junk campaign again this year so that we have one consistent message along the coast again.

SUSTAINABLE SWANAGE

• Sustainable Swanage is working with IDDEA Energy Systems to enable residents in Swanage and surrounding villages to find out more about the Solar Streets scheme, which provides affordable residential solar panel installations. The scheme will be launched at a Zoom event on Wednesday 17th March at 7.00pm where there will be a presentation on Solar Streets followed by Q&A.
• The Swanage Downs survey for the Downs will be running until midnight 14^th February, a fantastic response so far. A meeting will be organised for early March date TBC, to discuss main findings and respond to questions about the proposals.

Click here to see the full DCF eNews February 2021