“SAVE IT OR SORT IT!” – DERELICT WEYMOUTH LANDMARK WITH WARTIME PAST GOES ON SALE FOR £700K

A decaying town centre building once used to treat wounded war heroes is now at the centre of growing anger after being left to rot for years.

The former Colwell Centre—later known as School Street Plaza in Weymouth—is on the market for £700,000 through Goadsby Estate Agents.

Built in 1872 as the Weymouth Royal Hospital and Dispensary, the site played a vital role during the First World War, treating thousands of injured servicemen.

But today, that proud history is barely visible behind boarded-up units and a tired, neglected exterior.

“IT’S AN EMBARRASSMENT”

Residents say the building has become a blot on the town centre.

One local said: “It’s in such a prime spot and it’s just been left. People walk past it every day—it’s an embarrassment.”

Another added: “You wouldn’t even know the history unless someone told you. It deserves better than this.”

SHOPPING DREAM TURNED NIGHTMARE

The site later found new life as the Colwell Shopping Centre, a small indoor arcade that once housed independent traders and brought footfall into the area.

But as online shopping surged and bigger retail destinations took over, the centre struggled to survive.

Rebranded as School Street Plaza in its final years, it couldn’t turn things around—and shut its doors in 2018.

LEFT EMPTY… AND FALLING APART

Since then, the building has steadily deteriorated.

With no tenants and no clear plan, it has become another casualty of the high street’s decline—raising questions about how long it was allowed to sit empty.

FUTURE OR FINAL CHAPTER?

Now, with a £700,000 price tag, developers are being urged to step in.

But the pressure is on.

Locals want action—and fast.

“Either bring it back to life or do something with it,” said one passer-by. “It can’t just stay like this forever.”

A TOWN WAITING

For now, the former Colwell Centre stands frozen between past and future—its walls holding stories of care, community and commerce.

The question is whether its next chapter will restore its former pride… or finally erase it for good.