Business people based on the Granby Industrial Estate have an extra spring in their step as Weymouth gears up for the summer season.

Traders are looking forward to the opening of the long-awaited £87.4 million Weymouth-Dorchester relief road next month. Having weathered the worst of the triple whammy that was the recession, the worst snowfall in decades and VAT rising to 20%, businesses are now starting to welcome the green shoots of recovery. Golden opportunities are beckoning for 2012, when the borough will host the sailing events in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

And demand for commercial premises remains strong, according to Mickey Jones, Chief Executive at DJ Property, owner of much of  the Granby Industrial Estate. DJ Property recently invested a further £3.5 million into the estate with Oxford Court, a development with a modern courtyard-style layout and flexible, low maintenance, highly secure units, which can be configured in a vast number of ways to suit individual business needs. All of the properties at Oxford Court have substantial parking facilities.

Mr Jones said: ‘Firms in Weymouth and Portland have had to display incredible resilience this winter. Notwithstanding a national economy which is struggling, and a raft of Government spending cuts, companies have gritted their teeth and soldiered on while the main arterial roads are dug up at King Street, the Esplanade, at Ferrybridge and on Dorchester Road. We know that local motorists, as well as suppliers, have felt the town is being choked up as roundabouts have been replaced with traffic lights throughout the borough.

‘But I am confident these challenges will be transformed into strengths for Weymouth in the coming year. The local authority has spent £16 million on these roadworks, so we can all look forward to a brighter future. These improved trading conditions and road links will cement the Granby Industrial Estate as the centre for commerce and industry in South Dorset.’

Mr Jones also points out that very few businesses on the Granby went under during the recession and some that did re-emerged stronger. He cites the example of one of Weymouth’s leading engineering companies, Park Precision Engineering Ltd, which was recently taken over by new management, and is stronger as a result.

Ben Edwards, Director of Park Precision Engineering Ltd, said: ‘Weymouth is a surprising hive of industry for a small seaside town. The Granby Industrial Estate has bucked the trend by putting up new buildings despite the recession hitting. There’s a sense of excitement as we get closer to the relief road opening. I do believe improved transport links help us sell our business much better.

‘Companies here on the Granby Industrial Estate are already experiencing an upsurge ahead of the Olympics, and many are expecting to see even more of an upswing in trade in 2012, and beyond.’

Elsewhere, increasing numbers of businesses are springing up in Weymouth and Portland. New Look is seeking to permission to rebuild its Weymouth HQ on a site close to the new relief road and create a mixed commercial development adding a major supermarket, a 1,500 vehicle park and ride scheme and an 88-bed hotel.

Another new supermarket that has recently opened on Portland, Tesco, is not only delivering much-needed jobs to the community, but proof that investors have the vision and the confidence to back Weymouth and Portland despite uncertain times.

Part of that is down to the Olympic torch heralding a new dawn of prosperity which the whole borough can share in. Gary Fooks, Dorset 2012 Manager, who is also based on the Granby Industrial Estate, said: ‘Without a doubt London 2012 is helping this part of Dorset in tough times, and is just one reason why the Granby Industrial Estate has weathered the recession well.

‘Weymouth and Portland being chosen as the sailing venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has put us on the map, business interest is rising and this represents a golden opportunity for all commercial premises including industrial, retail, office, leisure, and storage.

‘In addition, the traffic improvements and investments at Osprey Quay mean all residents and businesses can benefit from a growing tourist and industrial sector too.’

Cllr Mike Goodman, the Brief Holder for Economic Development at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, agrees that improved road links are vital to the continued commercial success of the Granby Industrial Estate.

He said: ‘We welcome the opening of the relief road and faster traffic flows that the Olympic Transport Package will bring to the borough. We are hoping that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will also bring increased prosperity to businesses on the Granby Industrial Estate and across the borough in 2012, and beyond. The continued expansion and success of this estate is a critical part of our plans for high quality, diverse employment as described in our economic development strategy.’

ENDS