A CONSULTATION is being held to discuss new ideas for a cultural workspace development on the marina side at Watchet's East Quay.

The East Quay Foundry Project is a proposal to build workspaces for ‘makers’ of all types, from light industrial, to fine art to craft and web-based.

It is a place where visitors can come to see makers at work and will include a larger gallery to house exhibitions. It will include a café/restaurant with views out onto the marina and coast, and small bespoke self-catering accommodation pods for the adventurous traveller.

The scheme also includes a ‘look-out tower’ for visitors to climb and see unrivalled views of the West Somerset Coast, the Quantocks and Exmoor.

The project aims to bring life and energy back onto the Watchet quayside, with music, entertainment and activities throughout the year.

Crucially it also aims to bring jobs into Watchet through staffing needed to run the facility as well encouraging entrepreneurship by providing inexpensive workspaces for start-up enterprises.

The next phase of work is thanks to funding from the Coastal Revival Fund which awarded Onion Collective £50k this year to move concept designs to the planning stages.

The funding is in order to move concept designs to technical drawings, as well as pay for a number of surveys and engineering investigation work needed for planning permission.

Onion Collective have been awarded ‘Preferred Bidder Status’ from landowner West Somerset Council, and once planning permission has been granted Onion Collective will then be able to apply for capital grant funding to build the project.

Onion Collective Director, Georgie Grant said: “We are at a really exciting phase for the East Quay Foundry project.

"This funding from Coastal Revival means that we can take another look at the architectural concept designs, created by architects Invisible Studio and incorporate the comments that people have been telling us.

"Recent feedback has led to changes in the designs, and we want to discuss those changes with local people before they become more firmly developed.

"By talking to local people at this stage we can be sure that we fully understand all the observations and questions that they have.

"This project is very close to our hearts and it is important to us that we get it right. We want this project to be an important catalyst to bring jobs into Watchet, for it to become a landmark destination to bring visitors from far and wide and fantastic resource for everyone living in and around West Somerset.”

The workshops will be a presentation of the revised concept designs before they become too developed and an informal discussion for people to say what they think and share observations.

Light refreshments will be provided to act as brain food. Thoughts, comments and observations at these workshops will then be fed back to the architects, and the final designs will then be presented at a larger public meeting later in the year.

An informal workshop will take place on Thursday, November 10 at 7pm at Watchet Visitor Centre, Harbour Road.

To book a place go to www.onioncollective.co.uk or call the office on 01984 633496.