Olympic sailing host town gets a makeover

The 2012 Olympic sailing host is set to get a facelift, as Weymouth in Dorset put plans to transform its seafront out to public consultation, the BBC has reported.

The Greenhill Gardens area and nearby chalets have been put forward for a revamp as part of the town's preparations for hosting the sailing events at the London 2012 Olympics. The proposal includes landscaped gardens, public spaces and an outdoor exhibition space. The project has already been granted £6.6m in funding from the South West Regional Development Agency.

Weymouth will host the sailing events jointly with the nearby island of Portland and have so far been at the vanguard of the Olympic building boom. The £6m upgrade of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which will form the hub of the sailing events, was finished in November, making the it the first 2012 venue to be completed.

The public consultation will end on 17 January.