Sky bar atop 19-storey hotel planned for dual-tower city centre development

The proposed building would stand alongside a 16-storey tower housing 147 flats.

THAT Property Group is the mastermind behind the plan, with the scheme incorporating the parcel of land in Stanhope Road opposite Portsmouth & Southsea railway station.

It would lie next to the recently-opened £51.5m Catherine House development, which houses 1,000 students.

Peter Tisdale, spokesperson for the group said: ‘This site is highly sought after and has huge potential for development.

‘It is home to hundreds of students already, is a very busy area and is one of the most central city locations.

‘What we’re doing with our proposals is to raise the bar in terms of what high-end developments can offer to the city.’

For many years, the city has held aspirations for a five-star hotel, and while Mr Tisdale would not confirm the chosen operator for the 222-bed scheme, he said it is a ‘market leader’.

Under the proposals, three floors of office space would be incorporated as part of the hotel, a floor for events, multiple floors for restaurants and a ‘sky bar’ on the roof.

The plans come as construction begins on the 19-storey £30m student tower block, Stanhope House on the former site of the Co-op bank at 
the bottom of Commercial Road.

Once complete next August, the site will have 138 studio apartments and 118 flats.

It us being built by Crosslane Student Developments.

Its development manager Lisa Timberlake said: ‘We are pleased to commence work on the current site and construction of the new Stanhope House, which meets the strong growth in demand for this type of accommodation.’

The spate of skyscrapers planned for the corner next to Victoria Park includes the 152-bedroom Travelodge hotel in Stanhope Road – which is due to be built on the site opposite Willis Road.

If comes after leader of the city council Donna Jones said she would like to see the city centre have a ‘Manhattan’ skyline as part of a £500m revamp.