Swanage Neighbourhood Plan

Appendix B: Community Projects and Improvements to the Public Realm

In compiling the Neighbourhood Plan, the Steering Group has been mindful of the fact that there are very many infrastructure projects that have strong community support, led by either local charitable organisations or statutory authorities, but aren’t referenced in the main body of the Plan because they don’t require a specific planning policy in order to be delivered. This section has therefore been included to list projects which will help to address some of the key issues and challenges identified through the plan preparation process. These projects will be undertaken by a range of organisations, with details provided in each case below.

A new community sports facility at Day’s Park

The existing sports hall and clubhouse at Day’s Park, operated by Swanage Town & Herston Football Club (ST&HFC), were constructed more than 40 years ago and are now at the end of their useful life. Day’s Park Community Sports Trust was established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2025 to deliver improved facilities for community sport at this location. This includes the conversion of the main pitch to an artificial grass surface, an approach that is supported by the Football Foundation, Dorset FA and Active Dorset.

The site is owned by Swanage Town Council, which is committed to working with the CIO, ST&HFC and other community sporting organisations to enhance provision for sport, leisure, health and wellbeing for both local residents and visitors to the town at Day’s Park. Where possible, other facilities that deliver on these objectives will also be accommodated on-site.

Improved facilities for Swanage Museum

Swanage has a remarkably rich geological, natural, industrial and cultural heritage, as evidenced by the collections of Swanage Museum. The Museum currently occupies the former Heritage Centre, off of the Town Square, but it is widely recognised that the premises is inadequate in terms of its size and conditions for the storage and display of the Museum’s extensive holdings. The Museum, which is a registered charity, also operates a Local History Centre from rented units at the Victoria Avenue Industrial Estate.

Swanage Museum has aspirations to improve its facilities so that more of its collections can be displayed in order to engage a wider audience. An important feature of an enlarged and enhanced facility would be an education centre befitting a town that is the Eastern Gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

A re-imagined Mowlem Theatre

The Mowlem Theatre is the cultural hub for Swanage and Purbeck, providing a 380-seat auditorium (also used as a cinema) and a smaller performance space which is also utilised by a wide range of community organisations. The Theatre was constructed in 1967 to replace the Victorian Mowlem Institute but is now itself showing the effects of aging in a marine environment.

It is operated by the Mowlem Institute Trust, which has been successful in raising funds (supported by the Town Council) to make significant improvements to the structure in recent years. However, the Trust recognises that further enhancements are required to make it fit for a longer-term future, and has raised the prospect of a more thorough ‘re-imagining of the building’ in due course, in support of the Trust’s vision to operate a welcoming building which is seen as ‘a valued local resource with a trusted reputation’ and is ‘a place which brings audiences and artists together’1.

Enhanced wellbeing facilities at The Focus Centre, High Street

Following the transfer of the former youth centre at Chapel Lane to Swanage and Purbeck Development Trust (SPDT) in 2016, the adjoining Children’s Centre and Day Centre buildings were also transferred to SPDT in 2024. The entire complex has been rebranded as ‘The Focus Centre’, providing a youth club, nursery, mental health support, a family hub, day care and a Welcome Lounge, providing a wellbeing information service for local residents.2 Enhancements are planned to the building, including the opening of a community café, which will provide a relaxed environment for people to find the help and support that they require.

A new community hub at Herston Village Hall

Having been built by local residents in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Herston Village Hall now needs replacing. It provides a venue for a vital range of community activities (including a play group, youth club, Citizens Advice and community café) in a location that is accessible to those sections of the Swanage community that are most affected by economic hardship and deprivation. The Hall is operated by the Herston Community Centre charity, of which Swanage and Purbeck Development Trust became the sole corporate Trustee in 2018. The Trust’s aim is to provide ‘a vibrant social resource for the community of Herston’ and planning permission was granted for a new structure in November 2022.3

Improved skatepark at King George’s Field

The Swanage Skatepark Community Project (SSCP) Group are leading proposals to enhance and upgrade the facilities at the King George’s Field skatepark.4 Phase 1 improvements were completed in late 2025/early 2026 and Phase 2 improvements are planned for later in 2026. Working in partnership with Swanage Town Council, who owns and maintains the facility, SSCP’s aim is to provide a high-quality wheeled sports park that will have a feeling of flow, fun, stimulation, challenge and excitement for users. A mix of rideable features that accommodate all ages, abilities, and wheeled sports is planned. SSCP operates under the umbrella of SPDT.

Shore Road enhancements

As referenced in paragraph 263 of the Swanage Local Plan, adopted in 2017, the highway authority had committed to exploring traffic management measures along Shore Road. Following community engagement between 2022 and 2025 that highlighted concerns about pedestrian safety along Shore Road, Dorset Council has agreed to explore the potential to enhance the seafront environment by removing on‑street parking to enable wider footways on the seaward side of the road and deliver public‑realm enhancements. This may be accompanied by other changes such as a reduction in speed to 20mph, improvements to the Victoria Avenue / Northbrook Road junction and pedestrian crossing buildouts at key points on De Moulham Road to support safer crossings and help reduce vehicle speeds.

Beach Recharge and improved Town Centre Flood Defences

Two coastal defence schemes will be delivered during the lifetime of the Neighbourhood Plan. A beach replenishment scheme is scheduled for the autumn/winter of 2027/28 which, in conjunction with a rock groyne adjacent to the Mowlem Theatre, will protect the sea wall from coastal erosion until the middle of the century and beyond. Further to the south and east, a second phase of works will see flood defences installed at intervals between the Stone Quay and the Mowlem Theatre to prevent flooding of commercial and residential premises in the town centre. This will remove the need for the seasonal deployment of concrete blocks, as has been the case since 2019.

Swanage Railway connection to Wareham

It was noted in paragraph 265 of the Swanage Local Plan that ‘Swanage Railway Trust is currently developing services to connect to the main line network at Wareham’. Trial services took place in 2017 and 2023, which connected Swanage with the main line at Wareham for the first time since 1972. However, the Trust announced in spring 2024 that further commuter services were commercially unviable in the short-term. Nevertheless, the Trust retains committed to working with key partners to assess whether a service can be reinstated in the medium to longer-term.

Conservation Area review

Further to paragraphs 267-72 of the Swanage Local Plan, Dorset Council published a review of existing and potential conservation areas in Swanage in December 2022. This took into consideration a local listing project of buildings worthy of preservation outside of the Conservation Areas that was undertaken by the Purbeck Society between 2017 and 2021. The key recommendations were that further consideration should be given to the designation of a Durlston Conservation Area, and that the existing Swanage Conservation Area should be extended to include Swanage Primary School, Swanage Hospital and the west side of Mount Scar. The review also recommended that Grosvenor Terrace, on the southern side of Grosvenor Road, should be included in one or other of these Conservation Areas. In the light of limited available resources, Dorset Council, Swanage Town Council and the Purbeck Society will need to consider how best to take this work forward.

Commercial Road ‘Heart of Swanage’ Improvements

Swanage Town Council has recognised the important contribution that the smaller business units in and around Commercial Road and Kings Road East make to the retail character of the town. It has agreed to work with business owners to promote this part of town as the Heart of Swanage. The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group has acknowledged the importance of enhancing the vibrancy of the area, which could be encouraged by increasing residential use above the retail units. Partnership working between property owners and local government bodies could bring improvements to the public realm (e.g. improved signage, bin storage and pavements).

Preserving existing community facilities

In addition to the projects listed above, the Town Council and the wider community are committed to preserving the following community facilities, which were listed in paragraph 232 of the Swanage Local Plan: Swanage Hospital, Swanage Medical Centre, Gainsborough House Care Home, Swanage Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School, St Mark’s Primary School, the Swanage School, Swanage Town Hall, Swanage Museum & Heritage Centre and the Mowlem Theatre. The list also included local shops, such as that at Herston.

The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group has also identified a need to support the infrastructure required for the development of a sustainable year-round tourist economy, based around the arts, culture, heritage and events.

  1. The Mowlem Institute Charity Business Plan: Planning for Change (2022) ↩︎
  2. See https://wellbeingswanage.org/the-focus-centre ↩︎
  3. See SPDT website https://www.sandpdt.org.uk/herston-village-hall/   ↩︎
  4. See SSCP website https://www.swanageskateparkcommunityproject.com/ ↩︎