Domino's Pizza set to open new store at building owned by Portsmouth City Council

CONCERNS have been raised about a new fast-food takeaway set to open in the city.
The unit Domino's Pizza will soon take up at Illustrious House in Winston Churchill Avenue in Portsmouth. Picture: GoogleThe unit Domino's Pizza will soon take up at Illustrious House in Winston Churchill Avenue in Portsmouth. Picture: Google
The unit Domino's Pizza will soon take up at Illustrious House in Winston Churchill Avenue in Portsmouth. Picture: Google

Domino’s Pizza is taking the lease for the ground floor unit of Portsmouth City Council-owned Illustrious House in Winston Churchill Avenue. The block was opened in 2017 and has 16 affordable flats.

The unit will join the franchise’s stores in Cosham High Street; London Road, North End; and in Fratton Road.

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But a senior councillor has said no further council-owned properties will be leased for fast food outlets unless that is their current use.

Councillor Steve Pitt – cabinet member for culture and city development – said: ‘I don’t want it to be seen for the council to be increasing the number of takeaway outlets in the city.

‘The council has all sorts of corporate priorities, many around healthy living and a cleaner environment, and I don’t think that meets our corporate priorities.’

He said when he found out about the lease negotiations it was too late for the council to pull out.

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But he added: ‘I’ve made it clear to officers that in my view we should not be letting council properties to fast food outlets unless of course it’s already a fast food outlet.’

Conditional planning permission has been granted for the change of use.

A highways engineer said moped delivery drivers will be tempted to join traffic on a roundabout in Winston Churchill Avenue despite there being no junction.

The unnamed engineer who monitored the Fratton Road branch for an hour at peak time saw 60 trips to the store but said the new store is unlikely to hit this number. They had concerns about mopeds.

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The engineer’s comment said: ‘Whilst a loading area is available to the rear of the site, the route to reach it is convoluted and therefore unattractive.

‘I therefore find it likely that delivery vehicles will either stop outside the premises or pull onto/across the footway fronting the site in order to gain easier access.

‘This is especially likely in the case of mopeds used for pizza delivery given the large expanses of paving immediately outside the shop and footway between Winston Churchill Avenue and Wellington Street.’