WHY IS THE SIZE OF THE OCEAN ROOM BEING REDUCED?
The present Ocean Room is old, tired, energy-inefficient, loses a lot of money and is too big to be viable in a community the size of Weymouth and Portland. There just isn’t the demand day-in day-out for a room of this size. There is a significant difference in use by the younger and older sections of the community. For example, it is recognised that some value the Ocean Room as a ballroom, but such uses are heavily subsidised and produce very little bar and catering income. Readers might be interested in some key facts: 1. Line dancers use the Ocean Room just one or two evenings a year. 2. Ballroom dancers use the Ocean Room, on average, just over one evening each week. 3. The average number of dancers attending an event is approximately 150. The Ocean Room is licensed for 600, meaning it is used to a quarter of its capacity. 4. A professional dance company had planned eight visits to the Ocean Room over the next 12 months. These all had to be cancelled due to lack of support. 5. For
