Block Management in Weymouth
On the Esplanade, 168 of 177 buildings are listed, mostly as whole terraces.
Plymouth Block Management acts as managing agent for Weymouth's RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders, covering block management, estate upkeep and leasehold administration. Along the Esplanade 168 of 177 buildings are listed, largely as terrace entries, so a flat there is usually part of a listed building and works that affect its character need listed building consent. Behind it, most assessed town centre sites lie in Flood Zone 3, with river, tidal, wave overtopping and groundwater risk all recorded.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
Listed Consent and Protecting Ground-Floor Plant
Obtain Listed Building Consent for External Works
On the Esplanade a flat usually forms part of a listed terrace, so external repairs, windows, render and even area railings can need listed building consent where the works affect its character. We would establish whether consent is needed, and obtain it, before specifying any external works to a block.
ConsentsMatch the Block to Its List Entry
Terrace names were replaced by a single Esplanade number sequence, and the national list descriptions use the new numbers. We would use the council appraisal's cross-reference table to confirm a block's entry before any consent application.
ConsentsProtect Ground-Floor Flats and Plant
The adopted plan manages residual flood risk by avoiding vulnerable ground-floor uses or raising floor levels, and Commercial Road and Custom House Quay are Flood Zone 3b. We would review where communal plant sits and reflect the exposure in insurance placement.
InsuranceRecommend Radon Measurement
Weymouth is in a radon Affected Area, and the 1 to 3 per cent band at the town centre, the Esplanade and Radipole means measurement is advised. We would recommend measuring communal areas and keep results on the compliance record.
ComplianceDorset Council and Four Flood Sources at Once
- Local authority
- Dorset Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Dorset Council Building Control
- County
- Dorset
- Fire and rescue service
- Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- Wessex Water
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 100 miles by road
- Setting
- Coastal
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency long term flood risk; Environment Agency flood map for planning; Historic England, National Heritage List for England; UKHSA UK radon map.
Weymouth Fees, Fixed in Advance
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and changing your managing agent.
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Whole Terrace Listings Along the Esplanade
Dorset Council records 15 conservation areas in the former Weymouth and Portland area, including most of the town centre. The Weymouth Town Centre area was designated in 1974 and extended in 1979, 1989, 1996 and 1998. It is divided into five sub-areas covering the Esplanade, Old Weymouth, Melcombe Regis, Park Street and Greenhill. For most town centre blocks, external works need checking against conservation area controls.
Weymouth's seafront is densely listed. The council's appraisal records that 168 of the 177 buildings on the Esplanade are listed, 24 of them at Grade II*. Much of the seafront is listed as whole-terrace group entries, among them Devonshire Buildings, Pulteney Buildings, Royal Crescent, Gloucester Row and Brunswick Terrace, and several of these entries expressly include the area railings.
Across the civil parish there are 612 listed building entries. A flat in one of these terraces is rarely listed on its own, but it is part of the listed building, so works to it, inside or out, that affect the terrace's character need listed building consent. For a block on the Esplanade, consent is sought for the specific works planned, and the terrace's list entry is the record to check before they are specified.
Flats House 26.9 Per Cent of Weymouth Households
At the 2021 Census 7,500 households in the Weymouth built-up area, 26.9 per cent, were in a flat, above the England figure of 22.2 per cent. Houses are evenly split, with detached, semi-detached and terraced each around a quarter. Flats are a larger part of the town's housing than nationally.
A Seaside Resort with the Wey Floodplain Through It
The adopted local plan describes Weymouth as an important seaside resort on the coast, with the floodplain of the River Wey running through the town.
Metalwork is where coastal exposure shows up first and costs most. The standards put a severe coastal atmosphere in category C5 or CX under ISO 9223, losing 80 to 200 micrometres of unprotected steel in year one in C5, and more in CX, so railings, balustrades and fixings on a Weymouth block are surveyed more often and the reserve fund is modelled on the findings.
Four Flood Sources Act on the Town at Once
Weymouth faces flooding from four sources at once. The council's assessment states that areas around the harbour are at risk of river and tidal flooding, and that areas behind the Esplanade are additionally at risk of wave overtopping. The low-lying topography has produced groundwater and surface water flooding as well. Most town centre sites assessed lie mostly or entirely within Environment Agency Flood Zone 3, with Commercial Road and Custom House Quay in Flood Zone 3b, the functional floodplain.
Defence quality is inconsistent: the design standard ranges from one year to 200 years and the defences are in variable condition. The assessment warns that Weymouth is highly susceptible to climate change and that even the proposed future defences are modelled to be overtopped. For a block, the siting of communal plant and the flood disclosure to insurers both matter.
Measurement Advised at the Centre, Esplanade and Radipole
Weymouth is in a radon Affected Area. The national radon map gives the 1 to 3 per cent band at the town centre, the Esplanade and Radipole, so measurement is advised in ground-floor and below-ground spaces. On Portland it rises to 3 to 5 per cent at Fortuneswell and more than 30 per cent at Easton. For a Weymouth block, radon measurement in ground-floor flats and communal areas belongs on the compliance record.
Esplanade and Harbour Specifics
- Georgian and Regency terrace names on the Esplanade were replaced by a single Esplanade number sequence, and the national list descriptions use the new numbers, so matching a block to its list entry needs the council appraisal's cross-reference table.
- The adopted plan requires residual flood risk to be managed primarily by avoiding vulnerable uses on ground floors or raising floor levels, which bears directly on ground-floor flats and communal plant.
Weymouth Cases Before the Property Chamber
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| Harbour Lights Court, North Quay | Section 20 consultation | 18 October 2022 |
| Flat 6, Grosvenor Apartments, 8a Grosvenor Road | Service charge | 2 February 2021 |
| 29 Quayside Court, 48 Commercial Road | Breach of lease | 18 February 2020 |
| Block 8, Corscombe Close | Right to manage | 21 February 2013 |
Weymouth Questions on the Esplanade and Flooding
Is Our Esplanade Flat Listed in Its Own Right?
Usually not. Much of the Esplanade is listed as terrace group entries covering Devonshire Buildings, Pulteney Buildings, Royal Crescent, Gloucester Row, Brunswick Terrace and others, several of which expressly include the area railings. An individual flat normally forms part of the entry for the whole terrace, and the council appraisal's cross-reference table links the old terrace names to the current numbering.
How Well Defended Is Weymouth Against Flooding?
Weymouth's defences are inconsistent. The council's assessment records a design standard ranging from one year to 200 years and defences in variable condition. It warns that Weymouth is highly susceptible to climate change and that even the proposed future defences are modelled to be overtopped. Areas behind the Esplanade are also at risk of wave overtopping, and Commercial Road and Custom House Quay are functional floodplain.
Do Portland's Radon Readings Apply to a Weymouth Block?
No. The national radon map gives the 1 to 3 per cent band at the town centre, the Esplanade and Radipole, so measurement is advised there. On Portland it rises to 3 to 5 per cent at Fortuneswell and more than 30 per cent at Easton, so Portland readings should not be applied to a Weymouth address. Weymouth itself is in a radon Affected Area.
Along the Jurassic Coast
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