Mixed-use Osprey Quay scheme set to advance

Plans for a mixed-use development on the Osprey Quay site in Dorset could soon advance. The plot once formed part of the Royal Naval Air Station HMS Osprey.Osprey Quay is a huge coastal area on the south-western shore of Portland Harbour. It includes flood defences, open greenspace and a waterfront promenade between Portland Castle and Portland Marina.Proposed is developing the site in two distinct parts.The western third is proposed to be a drive-thru coffee shop in a single-storey building.The actual drive-thru lane would circle around the south, west and north sides of the building, with a 26-space car park also lined up.Starbucks is the proposed user.The eastern two-thirds of the application site is proposed to be a business park of nine small commercial units. This would comprise a pair of two-storey buildings divided vertically into a total of nine two-storey units.There would also be a car parking area comprising 50 spaces.A planning statement submitted as part of the application noted that the scheme would bring investment into Portland in order to “bring a long-term vacant site into productive use, thus creating a significant economic benefit to the locality including through job creation”.The application is set to go before Dorset Council’s Western and Southern Area Planning Committee on 3 March, with a recommendation for approval.