A new purpose-built hub for adult social care services in Bridport looks likely to be built on the Wessex Water site off South Street.

Dorset County Council cabinet members will be making their decision at a meeting behind closed doors meeting next Wednesday, October 1.

After consultation with the community the choice of where to build the hub – part of a £4.7 million investment – has been narrowed down to county council land near the Fisherman’s Arms in South Street or the water authority site.

Cllr Jill Haynes, Cabinet member for adult social care, was at Tuesday’s meeting of Bridport Town Council to explain why the preferred option is on private land.

She said after feasibility studies had been done on both sites, the Wessex site came out on top and at the cabinet meeting next week members would be looking in greater detail at costings, space, size, and design for the hub.

She said the Wessex site was preferred for a number of reasons.

She said: “Firstly, it is central and that is one of the main things that people said they wanted. They wanted it to be part of the town.

“Secondly, it gives us the opportunity to work with CAB using that building and it gives us the opportunity to work with the libraries.

“We are looking to increase our library role into that of information and advice. The fact that the two organisations are there already gives us a very good opportunity to build on the information and advice part of adult social care.”

Cllr Dave Rickard said he was surprised that a privately-owned site, with planning permission for housing, was preferable to county council land. He said: “Land with planning permission in the centre of town has a premium price. Once you flag that up as your preferred site, advisors for Wessex Water will up the price.”

Cllr Hayes said: “We are much further down the line than that with Wessex Water.”

She added that there would be more consultation on the details of exactly what would be included in the hub and it was likely to evolve as it went along.

Part of the £4.7million investment involves a replacement for the Sidney Gale care home and Cllr Haynes renewed her pledge that it would not be closed without a replacement, in whatever form that takes.

She said: “I have already made the pledge that we would not sell Sidney gale until there is a replacement for it – that pledge stands. Our research shows that people are looking for us to provide supported housing – a halfway place where you can have your own front door or kitchen but if you need somebody’s help they are close by.”

Martin Paley, outgoing manager of CAB, has long been an advocate of using the advice bureau site for a hub.

He said: “It is absolutely ideal. I have long had this vision of a one-stop community centre for all advice-giving agencies in and around Bridport.

“It was eight years ago I first sounded off about this so I am just glad that it does appear that it is all coming to fruition. I am sorry that I won’t be around to see it happen.”

Barbara Vousden, chairman of the trustees of Chancery House day centre, welcomed the news.

She said: “I can’t see any reasons why not. If I was being totally selfish at one point we were thinking that we might have something with our building but obviously that is not to be but at least it is central. I can’t see the point of having a hub if it was out of the town.”