Hilsea Electric Bus Depot decision delayed to test impact on Portsbridge Roundabout

Plans to transform the former News Centre and printing press on London Road into a Bus Depot were first submitted to Portsmouth City Council in December last year.

If approved, the depot would accommodate one hundred 12m buses operated by FirstBus – entirely on electricity.

Now, the council has missed its determination deadline, which was set in February, after a request from National Highways – a public body tasked with managing and maintaining motorways and key A-roads nationwide.

It requested further modelling to understand the potential impacts on the M27, particularly the Portsbridge Roundabout, and a decision isn’t now expected until June.

A council spokesperson said: “The applicant has recently advised that the modelling should be completed and available for review by National Highways by the end of April 2024.

“In the interim, National Highways have recommended that the local planning authority does not grant planning permission for the application for a period until 2 May 2024 to enable the required information to be provided by the applicant.

“Once the modelling information has been received and reviewed by National Highways, it is intended that the application will go to the planning committee for determination, most likely in June 2024.”

Plans show buses would access the site using a modified entrance from London Road, from there they would form a stacking lane before being washed. The buses would park overnight at a charging station on the southern part of the site adjacent to Bapaume Road.

In 1969, The News Centre became The News headquarters following its relocation from Stanhope Road. It served as the newspaper’s central hub until 2013 when advertising and editorial staff relocated to a new site. Printing operations persisted until 2020, when DMG Media, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Metro, and i newspapers, bought the facility.

To view and comment on the plans visit Portsmouth City Council’s planning portal and search for application reference 23/01470/FUL.