The PORTSMOUTH (and area) thread

[Frankus Maximus]

Never seen the cladding go up before the building! Does this sample look a little different to the impressions we've seen before?

[Pompey77]

Originally Posted by ill tonkso

We have Cladding!

Well that's.... grey.... It doesn't look too good does it.

[cravendale]

I quite like it......but I liked the Tricorn.......

[ill tonkso]

Its a lot brighter in real life, as you can see in the rest of the shot my camera took the colour out of everything. It is more of a subtle blue on white.

[Pompey77]

Well I liked the Tricorn too. I hope your right tonksie the cladding is make or break, I fear this building could look very oppressive with those colours. I was hoping for something similar to Downing plaza in Newcastle which just looks great in the sun;

Originally Posted by Stamford

[Pompey77]

In other news;

• Harry Redknapp is talking to the council about removing the requirement for affordable housing in the Savoy Buildings development. Can't see that this is likely to start any time soon.
• The revised plans for the Sommers town community hub are due to go on show. I believe it was somebody at the council who said that it now looks like a bike shed on a bridge.
• According to Gosport BC the new ferry landing stage should arrive from Holland over the next couple of weeks and will be installed over the weekend of Friday the 17th and Monday the 20th of June. Pictures and more info here; http://www.gosport.gov.uk/sections/y...-new-facility/
• The National Museum of the Royal Navy has submitted an application (11/00475/FUL) for reconfiguring the museum which includes a new glass link building between Storehouses 10 and 11 and the enclosure of the colonnade of Storehouse 10.

[Pompey77]

Revealed: Final design of ‘hub’ at the heart of new Somers Town



THIS IS the final design for a multi-million pound community hub in one of Portsmouth’s most deprived areas.

The two-storey, £12m tubular building will span Winston Churchill Avenue, and will be built as the final stage of the Somers Town regeneration phase one.

The building will contain a health centre, with a dental service, a housing advice centre, a cafe and community centre to replace Southsea community centre, and a youth centre to replace the Brook Club on Sackville Street.

The regeneration team hopes to submit a planning application for the centre in September, with work to start in May 2012 and finish by December 2013.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/pol...commentspage=0

Well its not as bad as I suspected but I still think the idea of building it over WC avenue is a stupid one. The serious regeneration plans have lost the government funding now anyway so I guess it doesn't matter either way, this is about the only major thing which is going to be built.

[Pompey77]

Plans to transform Portsmouth’s Northern Quarter back on

MULTI-MILLION pound plans to transform Portsmouth’s city centre are back on track, The News can exclusively reveal.

Proposals for the £500m Northern Quarter shops scheme were shelved in 2008 as the recession began to bite – but now they are set to move forward once again.

And The News understands a huge John Lewis department store and a Marks and Spencer remain at the heart of the proposed development.

The revelation comes as business and council leaders meet today to discuss a Shaping the Future of Portsmouth strategy which brings together multi-million pound projects that will transform the city over the coming years.Next month the council will decide on crucial legal details of the Northern Quarter proposals, before a full plan is submitted early next year by developers Centros, who remain behind the project.

Kathy Wadsworth, strategic director for Portsmouth City Council, said the commitment of Centros to the project never wavered, but the economic crash changed everything.

She said: ‘The developer found that the plans they had drawn up before 2008 were no longer viable, but they had regular meetings with us throughout the period since, and always intended to submit new plans.

‘They believe the time is now right to revive the project and we are looking to support them as much as we can.

‘Portsmouth deserves a really fantastic city centre and we are all looking forward to see what Centros has come up with.’

Original plans submitted by Centros boasted a million square feet of commercial floor space, but the council says the new plans will be significantly revised.

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who is also the city councillor for regeneration, said the scheme was just one part of a plan to increase Portsmouth’s competitiveness in business and industry.

He said: ‘This strategy has been developed over the last 12 months by involving people from all economic sectors and all parts of the city.’

Today more than 100 businesses will attend a conference to hear about the Shaping the Future of Portsmouth strategy. Among the developments planned are new office space at Lakeside Northarbour, a new hotel in the former Zurich headquarters, and the regeneration of Somers Town.

John Marsh, development director of Centros, said: ‘We have examined many scheme options, and we’re now down to a shortlist of two, which we are taking forward in consultation with the council.

‘A completed Northern Quarter will ensure that the city achieves its ambition of becoming one of Europe’s leading waterfront cities.’

Recession forced developer to shelve plans

CENTROS was forced to put the regeneration of the city centre on hold during the recession.

The firm insisted that the financial crisis meant its original plans were not ‘economically viable’ and had to be scrapped.

The developer was due to start work in 2009, but instead the council and a handful of other groups resorted to interim measures such as improving benches and flower beds and finding temporary uses for the derelict shops at the northern end of Commercial Road.

The original scheme would have involved a four-star hotel, a John Lewis and Marks and Spencer, 80 new shops and 200 new homes.

It would also have demolished much of the northern end of Commercial Road – including everything beyond HMV – but these shops have been forced to keep trading with compulsory purchase orders hanging over the area.

According to a Centros spokesman, building work under the revised scheme is now likely to start in 2015.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/loc...k_on_1_2750131

[ill tonkso]

Marthas has already closed for it, closed on Sunday I think.

[Pompey77]

Watkins Jones to start £30m Portsmouth Blade tower
Aaron Morby | Tue 14th June | 7:38

Construction group Watkins Jones starts work this week on a 33-storey landmark tower for Portsmouth University.

Portsmouth City Council last week gave its seal of approval to the student accommodation block dubbed the blade tower, which will be built on the site of the former Victoria Baths in the city centre.

The project designed by Architecture PLB consists of a main 108m high building with rooms for 600 students, and a second, smaller 4,600 sq m building to be shared by the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies and the School of Education & Continuing Studies.

Test piling has been completed and Rock & Alluvium will start foundation work this week.

Watkins Jones’ specialist accommodation arm is handling the project and has signed up Stephenson Construction for the concrete frame.

All other packages are up for grabs including a steel frame portal for the smaller academic building.

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/...-blade-tower/?

[Newcastle Guy]

Not at all related to development, but does anyone know what those strange bee/beetle hybrid things are which fly at people on the common? I was down there with my friends today and I've never seen anything like them.

[guyb121]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_beetle

take a look at the picture, is this what it is???

[Newcastle Guy]

It could very well be. My friend punched one after it flew at him and we got a good look at it, seemed similar. It was funny to see people running around the common flailing their arms in the air.

Thanks

[ill tonkso]

I just moved away from Southsea Common. Not massively pleased but it was a sensible decision to move back home for a bit. Flatmate moved out, couldnt afford the place by myself. Gonna still check out The Blade as much as possible, and should be back down there in a months time if I can find a new Flatmate (Fingers Crossed!). One thing I do now have however is a skyline view, I will do my best to get a shot of The Blade when we have a core going from North Harbour.

[ill tonkso]

Basement work and Piling on The Blade.

[guyb121]

Does anyone know whats going on with "Number One Portsmouth" (The Hotel) just wondering as I'm starting to think it will be an archived proposal...

[cravendale]

Maybe i have misinterpreted the whole situation but im not expecting it to be built.

Basically the way i understand it is that the company that proposed the scheme and was trying to get planning approval was nothing more than a property development company - (maybe some house building).

In my opinion they were doing the classic; buying a piece of land and increasing its value by gaining planning approval with no intention of actually building on it and then selling it on - basically property development.

But of course i could be completely wrong!

[ill tonkso]

The project has recieved full approval by the City Council and they have a 4 star Hotel Operator onboard.

The only link that is missing is Funding. They have so far been unable to get any.

[cravendale]

Getting a hotel operator on-board is a surprise since it would imply there is more substance to this than i thought - fingers crossed i guess!

But maybe im just a pessimist since i still expect the project (or similar) to change hands.

[Pompey77]

Thing is there was never any official announcement of an operator, we only got info on it through an email to the developer. A later email revealed there had been a bit of a wobble and it looked as if the operator was pulling out for a time then things were supposedly resolved. I don't know where things stand atm, but I have my doubts. We shouldn't be too concerned by this anyway, we have lots of other stuff to get excited about!!!

image hosted on flickr

Pontoon - 13 July 2011 (7) by John Oram, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Pontoon - 13 July 2011 (2) by John Oram, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Pontoon - 13 July 2011 (4) by John Oram, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Pontoon - 13 July 2011 by John Oram, on Flickr