Wetherspoons is planning a new pub at Haven Holidays' Weymouth Bay site off Preston Road, with the planning application taking a major step forward. The move could see one of the UK's biggest holiday parks welcome the pub chain, potentially bringing a third Wetherspoon to the seaside town.
Expansion plans and objections
The plans are part of a massive £20 million expansion project which could see an extra 240 holiday homes. However, this may be tweaked to meet objections from immediate neighbours.
A planning application submitted to Dorset Council reveals that the pub is seeking advertising consent for five illuminated signs on the main building at the holiday site. The plans feature the J D Wetherspoon logo on signs measuring 2.7 metres in length across the building's frontage, although no proposed name for the pub has been disclosed.
Partnership with Haven Holidays
Although the pub chain is named as the applicant in the proposal, Wetherspoon referred inquiries to Haven, which in turn said it had nothing to share at this moment in time.
Haven has teamed up with Wetherspoon in nine of its parks across the country. Speaking in June, Haven chief executive Simon Palethorpe said: "I would like to see us growing this concept further across our estate. I definitely think there is an opportunity for the majority of our parks to have Wetherspoons."
Existing pubs and recent controversy
Weymouth is currently home to two Wetherspoons - The William Henry and The Swan.
In recent weeks, Wetherspoons has faced widespread online backlash after footage circulated of a British Army veteran being refused entry to The Star in Gosport. In the clip from October 25, a doorman told the man he could not enter wearing a poppy because it was "political" and instructed him to remove it or face being denied service inside.
Veteran Scott Schillemore said he was in "disbelief" after being refused entry in the pub, adding that the poppies are "a sign of respect for the fallen".
A spokesperson for the pub chain said Wetherspoon is a long-standing supporter of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and sells poppies in its pubs. Clarifying their stance, the pub said they raised £55,867 for the appeal last year.
