Multimillion-pound redevelopment of Gosport waterfront is given the green light
A BREWERY, museum and bar or restaurant will all be built along an historic section of Gosport waterfront.
Plans for a £30m redevelopment of Priddy’s Hard – a former armaments depot – has been given the go-ahead, with work set to begin later this year.
The first phase of this development will see the buildings restored and converted, creating a medium-sized brewery alongside a waterfront restaurant or bar and a visitor’s centre for tours of the historic ramparts, which formed part of the 18th century fortifications of Portsmouth Harbour.
Elite Homes will then be building 30 new homes on the western part of the estate.
The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT) is behind the development, which is also the first of its kind since an embargo by Natural England over the release of nitrates into Solent waters.
To mitigate this, water saving measures are being introduced in each home, meaning a reduced outflow from the houses.
Chief executive Peter Goodship said: ‘This is a landmark decision and one which, at long last, enables us to start this ambitious regeneration project.
‘It has experienced many setbacks over the past few years, the most recent being the decision of Natural England to oppose any new scheme involving the construction of new housing.
‘We could not have reached this stage without the wholehearted support of Gosport Borough Council and its innovative mitigation proposals to allow the housing elements to go ahead, and the incredible patience of our principal funders and commercial partners, not least the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England, to allow us the time to overcome such major obstacles.’
The 36-acre estate was acquired by the PNBPT almost 10 years ago, with redevelopment in the pipeline ever since.
The refurbishment of the buildings is set for completion by July this year, with hopes that the buildings will be fitted out six months later.
Housing construction will begin in May or June and be finished by September 2021 at the latest.
‘There is still a long way to go planning the subsequent development phases which will lead to the remaining historic buildings being sensitively converted,’ Mr Goodship added.