Southwell Park
Southwell Park is a multi-use site at the former Admiralty Gunnery Establishment (later part of the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment). The site was vacated by the Ministry of Defence in 1996 and became Southwell Business Park in 1997, named after nearby Southwell. Today it has a range of uses, including industrial, commercial, leisure and residential, and is also the home of Atlantic Academy's main campus.
History
Operation and closure of the AGE/AUWE(S) (1949-1996)
At the beginning of the Cold War, the Admiralty underwent a major re-organisation of their research facilities, prompting them to build a Gunnery Establishment on Portland, with the chosen location being Barrow Hill near Southwell. Constructed between 1949-54, the establishment opened in 1954 and was responsible for the gunfire control work of both the Army and Royal Navy. Later in 1959, the Admiralty decided that Portland would become the home of all scientific research into weapons, and detection and control systems. The Gunnery Establishment was transferred to Portsdown Hill in Portsmouth and Portland became home to the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, which was split into two sites. The former Gunnery Establishment became AUWE (South) and the Underwater Detection Establishment in Portland's dockyard became AUWE (North). The AUWE(S) was responsible for the design, development and testing of underwater weapons, while AUWE(N) focused on underwater detection systems, namely Sonar.
Portland, as the location of highly classified research, soon gained the interest of the Soviet Union, which emerged in 1961 when the Portland Spy Ring was discovered. Although the infiltration concerned AUWE(N), both AUWE establishments received international attention as a result and security was then significantly tightened at both sites. The ring remains one of the most famous examples of espionage infiltration and its activities were believed by the Admiralty to have accelerated the development of the Soviet Union's next class of submarine. Successive re-organisations of the Admiralty's establishments saw the AUWE later become part of the Admiralty Research Agency (ARE) in 1984, the Defence Research Agency (DRA) in 1991 and finally the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995.
HMNB Portland and the island's research establishments continued to operate into the late 20th century. However, with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, a reduction of the UK's defence budget saw the closure of HMNB Portland confirmed in 1992. Meanwhile, the closure of the Portland "North" and "South" establishments was also announced that year and the "South" site closed in 1996 after its final use as MOD(PE) Southwell. The research which had been carried out at the establishments was largely continued at DERA Winfrith.
Transformation and use of Southwell Business Park (1997-2005)
Following the closure of the DERA Southwell establishment, the complex was left with an uncertain future. The forty acre site had 350,000 square feet of buildings, along with facilities and equipment left behind such as large compression tanks and underwater acoustic tanks. The Ministry of Defence attempted to dispose of the site, but it received little interest for over a year, prompting them to begin developing plans to have the complex demolished, with possible building or mineral extraction afterwards.
However, the site was sold in 1997 to Roy Haywood and Ray Bulpit, who specialised in the acquisition and development of former military sites. With plans to transform the site into the Southwell Business Park, the new owners decided to adapt the buildings as necessary but keep new building work to a minimum. All work in transforming the site was to be funded by private investment and one of the earliest developments post-1995 was the erection of a dog kennel complex. In 1997, the new owners, as First Portland Limited, were granted planning permission to change the use of Maritime House to Class B1 (business use) and in 1998 they were given permission to change the use of the overall site to B2 (general industrial use).
Once planning permission was gained, Haywood and Bulpit began looking for tenants, and Southwell Business Park soon became well-established with a wide array of businesses. By the 2000s, the site was providing employment for almost 500 people and was home to over 100 businesses, including professional services, manufacturing, light engineering, research and development, and design and publishing. One of the first tenants was Andrew Coupe, a marketing and business development expert. It has been estimated that the turnover generated from all the businesses since 1997 to 2008 was over £200 million.
The main building seen upon entering the park, Maritime House, was primarily used as office space, with some surplus space being used to form studio flats. To the north-west of the main complex, a host of manufacturing and light engineering businesses based themselves in what were former laboratories and workshops. Some businesses in this section included roofers, theatrical prop makers and printers, as well as a plant for the refurbishment of sewage treatment equipment. Some businesses operate as a contractor for the MOD, while due to Portland's strong maritime links, businesses of this industry also established themselves at the park, including manufacturers of up-market rigid inflatables for luxury yachts and of underwater detection equipment. A business on site also hosts a sixty-kennel unit which trains security dogs, while another offers computerised document archiving and retrieval services.
In addition to the business tenants, the park's management also decided to install storage units on site, which continue to offer temporary storage for private and commercial clients. Initially fifty storage units were opened, but due to the high demand they were increased over the following years, with a current 350 in total now on site. Around 2000, the park was noted as having a much cheaper rate (in terms of pound per square foot) than other parks within the region such as those in Bournemouth, Southampton, Basingstoke and Reading. Meanwhile, in 1998, the first Portland Steam & Vintage Show was held at the park. The two-day event returned annually each August until the decision was made to relocate the show to Chickerell in 2011.
Construction of a spa and hotel (2005-2008)
By 2005, Southwell Business Park had successfully let most of the site's adaptable space. However, one part of the complex, namely the 1970s-built wing, remained empty. The park's management decided to develop this area themselves into a spa suite, conference centre, restaurant and hotel, with the park's name to be changed to Southwell Park to reflect the new variety of facilities.
The first part of the £10 million project was the Portland Fitness Club, which opened in February 2006. Work then commenced later in the year on the Portland Spa Therapy Suite, along with the Portland Spa Conference and Banqueting Centre. The therapy suite opened during 2007, while the Portland Spa Conference and Banqueting Centre was opened later in November that year. It included the 160-seat Orchid Restaurant, a 200-seat theatre and an indoor swimming pool.
Planning permission was granted for the creation of the project's final phase, a four-star 76-bedroom hotel in October 2007. It opened in October 2008 as the Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre and had been converted from the 1970s wing of the former research establishment. The new hotel and facilities were expected to become a big success story for the park, with potential future expansion of the hotel being announced shortly before its opening.
Financial difficulties and new ownership (2009-10)
In May 2009, the Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre went into administration as a result of the UK recession. Having borrowed capital to invest in their creation, the new facilities failed to generate the expected levels of income as the country's economy declined. The accounting firm KPMG was appointed the administrators of both Portland Spa Ltd and Southwell Estates Ltd, a management company providing utilities and other services to businesses at the park. The Southwell Business Park company was the parent of both subsidiaries, although it was not placed into administration itself. The hotel, which remained open while awaiting a new owner, continued to owe money to many local firms including Portland Stone Ltd, who were owed thousands of pounds for work done at the site including laying a new road.
The spa and fitness facilities were sold in October 2009 to Ocean Spa Ltd, who then opened as the Ocean Spa, independent of the hotel. Meanwhile, many businesses at Southwell Park saw considerable drops in business due to the recession. The Southwell Business Park company realised that in order to pay back their debts, the entire park would have to be sold. They went into administrative receivership in March 2010 and were sold to Compass Point Estates LLP that month. A new company, the Portland (Weymouth) Ltd, was formed to take over the running of the park and hotel, which was renamed the Portland Hotel.
Recent activities and the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy campus (2012-)
In 2013, the Ocean Spa took over the park's hotel and restaurant, which by this time had been renamed the Venue Hotel and the Cliff Panoramic Restaurant. The hotel itself had been downsized in 2012, with one part of the former hotel being converted into a new business centre, offering office space.
Work began in 2014 on the transformation of part of the park into a new £14 million campus for the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. The academy originally proposed establishing a new campus at the park in late 2012, but it was met with much local controversy, particularly the effect the new campus would have on traffic congestion. The academy's planning application was withdrawn in December 2012 and a reworked plan followed in 2013, which included alterations, extensions, a new sports hall and sports fields as well as re-organisation and additions to road, footpath and cycle routes. The new plans continued to attract controversy, with much local objection about a school being established within a business park. The former managing director of the park, Ray Bulpit, spoke out against the scheme as unsuitable for the site, while the current park owners were in favour of the campus.
After Weymouth and Portland Borough Council rejected the application in July 2013, the academy appealed and in April 2014, planning inspector Neil Pope overturned the decision of the council, granting permission for the campus to be developed. Later in September, the Ocean Spa and Hotel announced it would close that month as it was felt the development work for the new campus would not allow the hotel to provide attractive accommodation facilities for guests. However, by 2015, the hotel had reopened under new management as the Ocean Hotel and Bar, while the spa, fitness and conference sections were incorporated into the academy. The hotel was later renamed the Maritime Hotel, with an on-site spa, La Vie Spa, operating under separate management on the ground floor of the hotel in 2017-18. The hotel opened under new management as the Admiralty Hotel in 2020.
The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (now Atlantic Academy) campus opened in September 2016. It is based within Maritime House, in the section adjoining the hotel. Most of the commercial businesses operating from the park are based within the detached buildings to the north-west of Maritime House, while further office space has been transformed into residential flats. In May 2018, the Network Enterprise Complex was officially opened at the park by South Dorset's MP Richard Drax and Weymouth and Portland Mayor Kevin Brookes. Conversion work of the disused building, previously used as offices, began in mid-2017 and all seven units were occupied by November of that year. The complex is aimed specifically at new and small businesses.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Business park 'recession victim' - website video
2) Bournemouth Echo - Portland Spa calls in administrators - Martin Lea - May 2009 - website page
3) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2000 to 2018 - website page
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - various planning applications in online archive - website page
5) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - A Portland Success Story - John Newth - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Portland Port, Royal Naval Cemetery and a Gun Battery - website page
7) Exploring Portland - Southwell Business Park Area - Geoff Kirby - website page
8) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Underwater Research - website page
9) Maritime Hotel, Portland - Official Website - Home - website page
10) Oxford Mail - Plans to site academy at business park set for council decision - June 2013 - website page
11) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 5 - book
12) The National Archives - Admiralty and Ministry of Defence: Underwater Weapons Establishment, later Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment: Reports and Technical Notes - website page
13) The National Archives - Admiralty: Admiralty Gunnery Establishment: Reports and Papers - website page
14) YouTube - Southwell Business Park - Portland - 2000 Promotional Video - website video
History
Operation and closure of the AGE/AUWE(S) (1949-1996)
At the beginning of the Cold War, the Admiralty underwent a major re-organisation of their research facilities, prompting them to build a Gunnery Establishment on Portland, with the chosen location being Barrow Hill near Southwell. Constructed between 1949-54, the establishment opened in 1954 and was responsible for the gunfire control work of both the Army and Royal Navy. Later in 1959, the Admiralty decided that Portland would become the home of all scientific research into weapons, and detection and control systems. The Gunnery Establishment was transferred to Portsdown Hill in Portsmouth and Portland became home to the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, which was split into two sites. The former Gunnery Establishment became AUWE (South) and the Underwater Detection Establishment in Portland's dockyard became AUWE (North). The AUWE(S) was responsible for the design, development and testing of underwater weapons, while AUWE(N) focused on underwater detection systems, namely Sonar.
Portland, as the location of highly classified research, soon gained the interest of the Soviet Union, which emerged in 1961 when the Portland Spy Ring was discovered. Although the infiltration concerned AUWE(N), both AUWE establishments received international attention as a result and security was then significantly tightened at both sites. The ring remains one of the most famous examples of espionage infiltration and its activities were believed by the Admiralty to have accelerated the development of the Soviet Union's next class of submarine. Successive re-organisations of the Admiralty's establishments saw the AUWE later become part of the Admiralty Research Agency (ARE) in 1984, the Defence Research Agency (DRA) in 1991 and finally the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995.
HMNB Portland and the island's research establishments continued to operate into the late 20th century. However, with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, a reduction of the UK's defence budget saw the closure of HMNB Portland confirmed in 1992. Meanwhile, the closure of the Portland "North" and "South" establishments was also announced that year and the "South" site closed in 1996 after its final use as MOD(PE) Southwell. The research which had been carried out at the establishments was largely continued at DERA Winfrith.
Transformation and use of Southwell Business Park (1997-2005)
Following the closure of the DERA Southwell establishment, the complex was left with an uncertain future. The forty acre site had 350,000 square feet of buildings, along with facilities and equipment left behind such as large compression tanks and underwater acoustic tanks. The Ministry of Defence attempted to dispose of the site, but it received little interest for over a year, prompting them to begin developing plans to have the complex demolished, with possible building or mineral extraction afterwards.
However, the site was sold in 1997 to Roy Haywood and Ray Bulpit, who specialised in the acquisition and development of former military sites. With plans to transform the site into the Southwell Business Park, the new owners decided to adapt the buildings as necessary but keep new building work to a minimum. All work in transforming the site was to be funded by private investment and one of the earliest developments post-1995 was the erection of a dog kennel complex. In 1997, the new owners, as First Portland Limited, were granted planning permission to change the use of Maritime House to Class B1 (business use) and in 1998 they were given permission to change the use of the overall site to B2 (general industrial use).
Once planning permission was gained, Haywood and Bulpit began looking for tenants, and Southwell Business Park soon became well-established with a wide array of businesses. By the 2000s, the site was providing employment for almost 500 people and was home to over 100 businesses, including professional services, manufacturing, light engineering, research and development, and design and publishing. One of the first tenants was Andrew Coupe, a marketing and business development expert. It has been estimated that the turnover generated from all the businesses since 1997 to 2008 was over £200 million.
The main building seen upon entering the park, Maritime House, was primarily used as office space, with some surplus space being used to form studio flats. To the north-west of the main complex, a host of manufacturing and light engineering businesses based themselves in what were former laboratories and workshops. Some businesses in this section included roofers, theatrical prop makers and printers, as well as a plant for the refurbishment of sewage treatment equipment. Some businesses operate as a contractor for the MOD, while due to Portland's strong maritime links, businesses of this industry also established themselves at the park, including manufacturers of up-market rigid inflatables for luxury yachts and of underwater detection equipment. A business on site also hosts a sixty-kennel unit which trains security dogs, while another offers computerised document archiving and retrieval services.
In addition to the business tenants, the park's management also decided to install storage units on site, which continue to offer temporary storage for private and commercial clients. Initially fifty storage units were opened, but due to the high demand they were increased over the following years, with a current 350 in total now on site. Around 2000, the park was noted as having a much cheaper rate (in terms of pound per square foot) than other parks within the region such as those in Bournemouth, Southampton, Basingstoke and Reading. Meanwhile, in 1998, the first Portland Steam & Vintage Show was held at the park. The two-day event returned annually each August until the decision was made to relocate the show to Chickerell in 2011.
Construction of a spa and hotel (2005-2008)
By 2005, Southwell Business Park had successfully let most of the site's adaptable space. However, one part of the complex, namely the 1970s-built wing, remained empty. The park's management decided to develop this area themselves into a spa suite, conference centre, restaurant and hotel, with the park's name to be changed to Southwell Park to reflect the new variety of facilities.
The first part of the £10 million project was the Portland Fitness Club, which opened in February 2006. Work then commenced later in the year on the Portland Spa Therapy Suite, along with the Portland Spa Conference and Banqueting Centre. The therapy suite opened during 2007, while the Portland Spa Conference and Banqueting Centre was opened later in November that year. It included the 160-seat Orchid Restaurant, a 200-seat theatre and an indoor swimming pool.
Planning permission was granted for the creation of the project's final phase, a four-star 76-bedroom hotel in October 2007. It opened in October 2008 as the Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre and had been converted from the 1970s wing of the former research establishment. The new hotel and facilities were expected to become a big success story for the park, with potential future expansion of the hotel being announced shortly before its opening.
Financial difficulties and new ownership (2009-10)
In May 2009, the Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre went into administration as a result of the UK recession. Having borrowed capital to invest in their creation, the new facilities failed to generate the expected levels of income as the country's economy declined. The accounting firm KPMG was appointed the administrators of both Portland Spa Ltd and Southwell Estates Ltd, a management company providing utilities and other services to businesses at the park. The Southwell Business Park company was the parent of both subsidiaries, although it was not placed into administration itself. The hotel, which remained open while awaiting a new owner, continued to owe money to many local firms including Portland Stone Ltd, who were owed thousands of pounds for work done at the site including laying a new road.
The spa and fitness facilities were sold in October 2009 to Ocean Spa Ltd, who then opened as the Ocean Spa, independent of the hotel. Meanwhile, many businesses at Southwell Park saw considerable drops in business due to the recession. The Southwell Business Park company realised that in order to pay back their debts, the entire park would have to be sold. They went into administrative receivership in March 2010 and were sold to Compass Point Estates LLP that month. A new company, the Portland (Weymouth) Ltd, was formed to take over the running of the park and hotel, which was renamed the Portland Hotel.
Recent activities and the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy campus (2012-)
In 2013, the Ocean Spa took over the park's hotel and restaurant, which by this time had been renamed the Venue Hotel and the Cliff Panoramic Restaurant. The hotel itself had been downsized in 2012, with one part of the former hotel being converted into a new business centre, offering office space.
Work began in 2014 on the transformation of part of the park into a new £14 million campus for the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. The academy originally proposed establishing a new campus at the park in late 2012, but it was met with much local controversy, particularly the effect the new campus would have on traffic congestion. The academy's planning application was withdrawn in December 2012 and a reworked plan followed in 2013, which included alterations, extensions, a new sports hall and sports fields as well as re-organisation and additions to road, footpath and cycle routes. The new plans continued to attract controversy, with much local objection about a school being established within a business park. The former managing director of the park, Ray Bulpit, spoke out against the scheme as unsuitable for the site, while the current park owners were in favour of the campus.
After Weymouth and Portland Borough Council rejected the application in July 2013, the academy appealed and in April 2014, planning inspector Neil Pope overturned the decision of the council, granting permission for the campus to be developed. Later in September, the Ocean Spa and Hotel announced it would close that month as it was felt the development work for the new campus would not allow the hotel to provide attractive accommodation facilities for guests. However, by 2015, the hotel had reopened under new management as the Ocean Hotel and Bar, while the spa, fitness and conference sections were incorporated into the academy. The hotel was later renamed the Maritime Hotel, with an on-site spa, La Vie Spa, operating under separate management on the ground floor of the hotel in 2017-18. The hotel opened under new management as the Admiralty Hotel in 2020.
The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (now Atlantic Academy) campus opened in September 2016. It is based within Maritime House, in the section adjoining the hotel. Most of the commercial businesses operating from the park are based within the detached buildings to the north-west of Maritime House, while further office space has been transformed into residential flats. In May 2018, the Network Enterprise Complex was officially opened at the park by South Dorset's MP Richard Drax and Weymouth and Portland Mayor Kevin Brookes. Conversion work of the disused building, previously used as offices, began in mid-2017 and all seven units were occupied by November of that year. The complex is aimed specifically at new and small businesses.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Business park 'recession victim' - website video
2) Bournemouth Echo - Portland Spa calls in administrators - Martin Lea - May 2009 - website page
3) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2000 to 2018 - website page
4) Dorset for You - W&PBC - various planning applications in online archive - website page
5) Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine - A Portland Success Story - John Newth - website page
6) Exploring Portland - Portland Port, Royal Naval Cemetery and a Gun Battery - website page
7) Exploring Portland - Southwell Business Park Area - Geoff Kirby - website page
8) Jurassic Agent - The Jurassic Coast: Underwater Research - website page
9) Maritime Hotel, Portland - Official Website - Home - website page
10) Oxford Mail - Plans to site academy at business park set for council decision - June 2013 - website page
11) Portland Encyclopaedia - Rodney Legg - Dorset Publishing Company - 1999 - ISBN: 978-0948699566 - page 5 - book
12) The National Archives - Admiralty and Ministry of Defence: Underwater Weapons Establishment, later Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment: Reports and Technical Notes - website page
13) The National Archives - Admiralty: Admiralty Gunnery Establishment: Reports and Papers - website page
14) YouTube - Southwell Business Park - Portland - 2000 Promotional Video - website video
Gallery
These images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Some images have information attached to them, and to view this you can either enlarge the image or hover the mouse over each thumbnail.
Video
Saved from an old VHS cassette, this is a 12 minute promotional video to entice potential businesses to the Southwell Business Park. This was when Roy Haywood and Ray Bulpit were the owners of the park. Produced and directed by Gill Thomas, the video would have been made around 2000.