Press
Chalk and Cheese Press Release
04/08/10 09:14
Fantastic news!As previously reported, at the end of June the Dorset County Council democratically voted to take a lease from Crown Estate for the W2R Project and to then sub-lease to W2R. This has been the biggest hurdle that we are likely to encounter and it is a huge relief that it is now behind us.
A further development can be reported today with the announcement that the Local Action Group, Chalk and Cheese, has through their executive committee agreed a grant of £111,000 to W2R for the capitol costs of two of the three lobster restocking reefs and help with 3 years management costs. Read More...
Change of plan for shipwreck reef site off Portland
10/07/09 11:01
Article posted in the Dorset Echo 10/07/09
OBJECTIONS from the military have prompted project leaders to rethink a plan to sink a warship off Portland and create a new diving reef.
They have been forced to identify a new area of seabed for their underwater sanctuary after a preferred site in Balaclava Bay was blocked by the MoD because it would affect a training area.
Wreck to Reef (W2R) project co-ordinator Neville Copperthwaite insisted the scheme was not dead in the water as a new site had been found south of Ringstead Bay, following discussions with the Crown Estate. The zone is around the same size of 1km by 1km and although less sheltered it is deeper.
Initial findings from a survey of the new site indicate an artificial reef would not affect any marine life and in fact would probably help to boost flora and fauna.
The next hurdle for the project is obtaining permissions that are needed from a multitude of different agencies, as well as getting Dorset County Council to agree to become a leaseholder for the site.
Both the county council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council had been supportive throughout, Mr Copperthwaite said.
Borough council officers say the project would provide a major boost to the economy.
Mr Copperthwaite revealed a bid for funding had been submitted to the South West Regional Development Agency (SWERDA). So far the project has been financed by Weymouth and Portland’s diving community to the tune of almost £20,000, and it is hoped SWERDA will at least match-fund this so the project can progress through the next stages.
W2R would like to tap the agency for a further chunk of funding in the future but it is hoped to tempt a sponsor on board to pay for the cost of securing a warship.
The project is seen as tying in with the Olympic legacy and it is still envisaged the first sunken ship will be in place for the 2011 diving season.
Mr Copperthwaite said: “We’ve had to change sites because our preferred location at Balaclava Bay and the second option off Church Ope Cove are near an acoustic range used by Navy minesweepers.
“Apparently it’s the only site in the country and the MoD objected because they said compressor equipment on the diving boats would interfere with range operations.
“We’re not disappointed. The diving community is happy with the new site which is just outside the anchorage area of Weymouth Bay and a minimum of 22 metres deep as opposed to 16 metres.
“It’s closer to Weymouth but would still be accessed by dive boats from both Weymouth and Portland.”
Mr Copperthwaite said the project had galvanised the local diving industry. This was evident when eight divers, including an underwater cameraman, plus boat skippers gave their services for a day to take part in the environmental survey to establish the overall flora, fauna and topography of the new site.
Mr Coppertwaite said: “The project has taken another step towards becoming a reality.”
OBJECTIONS from the military have prompted project leaders to rethink a plan to sink a warship off Portland and create a new diving reef.They have been forced to identify a new area of seabed for their underwater sanctuary after a preferred site in Balaclava Bay was blocked by the MoD because it would affect a training area.
Wreck to Reef (W2R) project co-ordinator Neville Copperthwaite insisted the scheme was not dead in the water as a new site had been found south of Ringstead Bay, following discussions with the Crown Estate. The zone is around the same size of 1km by 1km and although less sheltered it is deeper.
Initial findings from a survey of the new site indicate an artificial reef would not affect any marine life and in fact would probably help to boost flora and fauna.
The next hurdle for the project is obtaining permissions that are needed from a multitude of different agencies, as well as getting Dorset County Council to agree to become a leaseholder for the site.
Both the county council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council had been supportive throughout, Mr Copperthwaite said.
Borough council officers say the project would provide a major boost to the economy.
Mr Copperthwaite revealed a bid for funding had been submitted to the South West Regional Development Agency (SWERDA). So far the project has been financed by Weymouth and Portland’s diving community to the tune of almost £20,000, and it is hoped SWERDA will at least match-fund this so the project can progress through the next stages.
W2R would like to tap the agency for a further chunk of funding in the future but it is hoped to tempt a sponsor on board to pay for the cost of securing a warship.
The project is seen as tying in with the Olympic legacy and it is still envisaged the first sunken ship will be in place for the 2011 diving season.
Mr Copperthwaite said: “We’ve had to change sites because our preferred location at Balaclava Bay and the second option off Church Ope Cove are near an acoustic range used by Navy minesweepers.
“Apparently it’s the only site in the country and the MoD objected because they said compressor equipment on the diving boats would interfere with range operations.
“We’re not disappointed. The diving community is happy with the new site which is just outside the anchorage area of Weymouth Bay and a minimum of 22 metres deep as opposed to 16 metres.
“It’s closer to Weymouth but would still be accessed by dive boats from both Weymouth and Portland.”
Mr Copperthwaite said the project had galvanised the local diving industry. This was evident when eight divers, including an underwater cameraman, plus boat skippers gave their services for a day to take part in the environmental survey to establish the overall flora, fauna and topography of the new site.
Mr Coppertwaite said: “The project has taken another step towards becoming a reality.”
Team Dorset...
29/01/09 09:52
Our project is now featured on the new official Team Dorset website.You can view the article, ‘Team Dorset backs Wreck to Reef Project’ by clicking on the link below:
http://www.teamdorset.co.uk/item201
BBC News Video
28/01/09 14:59
As part of the momentum building around the press coverage for the project the BBC have posted their recently broadcast footage to their website.This can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7856346.stm
BBC News Coverage
28/01/09 12:45
The project has received an increasing amount of press coverage recently.The latest article from the BBC News website can be seen by clicking here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7855967.stm