Dorset Council is proposing to keep the current safety railings on Custom House Quay, Weymouth, in place for the foreseeable future.

The railings were installed in April earlier this year following advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that edge protection was required to ensure that people were adequately protected from falling in the harbour.

They were initially installed as a temporary measure in preparation for increased visitor numbers over the summer, partly due to the pandemic. Over the summer, council officers have reviewed their effectiveness and advise that they should be retained permanently to maintain safety in this area of the harbour, complementing the public realm improvements being made to Custom House Quay.

Full consideration has been given as to whether the existing railings should be retained or whether they should be replaced with a different design. The current railings cost £40k and allow flexibility for harbour user needs in the future. An alternative type of railing with a more traditional, heritage appearance and made from Ferrocast Polyurethane could be used instead in this area of the harbour. However, the replacement cost would be approximately £100k including installation and does not give flexibility of use.

Based on Health and Safety advice and the known risk of people falling into the harbour, removing railings altogether in this area of the harbour is not an option.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

“We believe the safety railings installed on Custom House Quay in April this year may have helped to save lives by preventing people from falling into the harbour and drowning this summer, as has very sadly happened in recent years. We installed the railings on the advice of the Health and Safety Executive and we maintain this was the right thing to do.

“I’m well aware that there was opposition to the railings when they were installed earlier this year. However, they have proved their worth over recent months keeping visitors safe and those who earn their living within the harbour able to carry out their work, the current railings have weathered-in now, and they meet the needs of a busy working harbour and its users.

“As Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, I have to make some really difficult decisions and ensure we spend taxpayers’ money as efficiently as possible. It is my view that the current railings work well, and it would not be cost effective to replace them with alternative barriers which would cost more and require ongoing maintenance. However, I am open to listening to residents’ views on this and will make a final decision once I’ve considered all feedback.”

Local residents and businesses are able to give their views on this proposal by emailing DorsetHighwaysBSU@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 31 October.

Feedback will be reviewed and considered and a final decision will then be taken by the Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, having considered comments from harbour users and Dorset residents.

I was one of the many opposing residents to the rails being fitted in the first place, and mostly, I think this was down to the manor in which the project was handled. I haven’t been for a few years but I strongly remember much of Poole quay not having barriers, is this still the case? If you attended the harbour on any day on the summer you also would have noticed hundreds of locals and visitors having climbed through the railings to sit in the harbour wall, so I don’t believe they’re doing a great deal anyway. If the railings have to stay, so be it… But they are an ugly blight on our harbour, and the fact that they’re not cost effective to replace just shows how much of an embarrassingly poor job Dorset council did to the planning of the project, with no regard to the appearance of our beautiful harbour. Weymouth council needs to be more vigilant in insuring the right channels of public consultation are followed for such projects As the report suggests, they’re weathered in, so now instead of looking like brand new scaffold poles, they look like slightly older ones.. Surely if something can’t be done to change the them out completely, there can be something done to ease the appearance existing barriers?? Painting them could be a start, surely this could be done at an affordable cost?

I totally agree. As a former Weymouth resident, backin the 80’s, now living in Wool for 8 years filling overseas duties, I am shocked that Weymouth/Dorset Council could contemplate such a poor solution to what they deemed to be problem. No where else in the European Union, or in fact the World, on a heritage and important tourist site, would this type of barrier be considered suitable. It is aesthetically dreadful. There must be many more acceptable alternatives. Having lived fourteen years in the Netherlands I can categorically say the Dutch would be appalled. There certainly would be real protests by the community. For goodness sake think again and, if it’s really necessary to have a security barrier then make it pretty(by that I mean in keeping with the environment). Weymouth harbour is not, or should not look like, a building site.

How do these railings improve safety? Many people still choose to sit in the harbour wall but now need to climb over the railings to get there. They do make a handy backrest once you have climbed over though. Painting them black each year might be affordable and would improve the appearance.

The railing were installed under the pretence of H&S and that edge protection was required to ensure that people were adequately protected from falling in the harbour. The railing fail to provide this as people are often seen sitting on the wrong side of the rails and I believe the council would be more liable than before. Following the logic of the council I would expect railing to appear along the Cobb in Lyme Regis as it also has a high foot fall and deaths have occurred. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/08/disabled-woman-drowns-dorset .

Careful what you suggest – Lyme next ? Yes the railings are ugly and ineffective, as people climb through them. I don’t think that Cllr Ray is correct that they do work well, and they certainly detract from the view. But then so do the return of cars to the quayside.

I fear a lot of ‘temporary’ changes anticipating a surge in visitors to Dorset will de-facto become permanent, including restricting access around beauty spots across the piece.

Weymouth harbour is beautiful and these ugly railings are a disgrace. Shame on dorset council for yet again taking the cheap option. They should be removed and if we have to have railings then at least try and make them blend in.

Street hardware can be charming – look at the lamp columns in Lyme Regis, but are costly, and spending much public money is politically difficult; politics always gets in the way of good sensitive engineering ! System fencing and railing, designed, provided, painted and erected by sensitive professionals and craftsmen can be unobtrusive, easily maintained, effective and inexpensive, if lacking in the charm of ancient crafts and heritage – go for it ! As to location, don’t forget, the nearer to the water’s edge, the less the probability of adventurous children climbing through and falling into the harbour!

Why am I not surprised. I always thought that these temporary barriers would become permanent, of course the Council will say it’s a safety thing and nothing at all to do with finances. The erected barriers are as dangerous as no barriers at all, people still sit on the harbour side behind them. It take just a small shove by someone fooling about and someone falls in, with those trying to save them being hampered by the same barrier that was erected to save them. The South-West coastal path goes past these railings and there are numerous other parts of this well used path that is vastly more dangerous and falling from any of these is life changing at best.

What a surprise! Old Flower & Bryan and their bunch of weeds have done nothing but grow lies to the residents of Dorset since the amalgamation of councils. They are a disgrace to democracy and should be weeded out at the earliest opportunity!

What will Plan B be when someone, for what ever reason climbs over the railings, catches their feet on the bars and falls into the water? Another H&S consultation that will advise without the railings they may not have fallen in! The cost incurred so far is down to the County Council who will also tell us there is no funding avaiable for other more pressing problems like for example removing the drug and drink element from Westham bridge. Funnily enough there are no barriers by the bridge and no one has fallen in!

PS not to mention the obvious, like how is Flower allowed to lead Dorset Council with his track record? After all he couldn’t be a MP!

Of course most people realised that when these horrible ugly useless railings were erected that they were unlikely to be removed. Seeing visitors crabbing etc on the other side throughout the summer tells us exactly how effective they are!!! Health and safety – Surely we are all responsible for our own H&S in this mamby pamby world!! Why have we let Dorset council make these terrible decisions on our behalf!!!!

Not rocket science. The railings should have been put on top of the wall, not inside, and the same style and colour as those towards the pavilion. It’s the lack of joined up thinking that is disappointing and should be embarrassing for Dorset Council and its representatives.

I’m aware of other harbours in Dorset, and other counties, which don’t have railings to so called prevent folk from falling into the water etc, some don’t even have any walls along the edge of the harbour structure, and these harbours etc. Parents, children sit with legs dangling over the water, with reel and line, hoping to catch odd crab or two. So why is Weymouth now deemed to be more of a risk than other harbour or structures with pavements alongside water, for folk to fall in?

All these comments are noted, thank you. If you wish your views to be considered by the Portfolio Holder please do email them to DorsetHighwaysBSU@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

Unfortunately we cannot include comments on this page and they will not be taken into account. Thank you.

If railings needed to be installed at all, you could have done much better, such as the type used at Newton’s Cove

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