The venue remains on course to become one of the first sites to be ready for the 2012 Games.

The Hampshire based company Dean & Dyball won the bid to enhance the facilities for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing events. The firm will build a new permanent 150m slipway and new mooring and lifting facilities.

Construction work is due to start in spring and will be completed by the end of 2008 meaning Weymouth and Portland will be one of the first venues ready for the 2012 Games.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said ‘The enhancements will provide new opportunities and facilities to enable people from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities to experience the thrill of sailing. This will leave a legacy of elite and recreational sailing for future generations.’

Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive David Higgins said: ‘London 2012 will be a nationwide Games and our plans for Weymouth and Portland are an excellent example of how the Games can act as a driver for wider regeneration, spreading sporting, social and economic benefits around the country.’

Read the full media release