University of Portsmouth applies for permission to demolish Nuffield and Spinnaker buildings

The University of Portsmouth has applied to the city council for prior approval for the clearance of the Nuffield and Spinnaker buildings in St Michael's Road having already submitted separate plans to relocate staff from it.

'The demolition of the buildings will facilitate the future redevelopment of the site, which will be subject to a separate planning application submitted in due course,' a letter submitted with the application by Beth Evans, a senior associate at law firm Freeths, on behalf of the university says. 'The existing buildings are coming to the end of their beneficial use, and so demolition will facilitate the comprehensive redevelopment of the site.

'The university will brief the city council on the intended programme and schemes separately.’

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The Nuffield building was opened in 1951 by the then Princess Elizabeth and houses university support services while the Spinnaker sports facility was opened in 2004.

One option for the site, once it is cleared, is to build a new teaching and research space for the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science.

In October two planning applications were submitted for the conversion of a block at the university-owned Bateson Hall and St Paul’s Road Sports Hall to allow staff to be relocated. Permission for this work was granted at the end of last month.

‘The renewal of the university’s buildings and facilities is essential in order to provide modern buildings and facilities for our students and our teaching, learning and research activities,’ a University of Portsmouth spokesman said in October. ‘The demolition of the Nuffield building to create a vacant site for a new academic building is part of the university’s estate masterplan.’

Bateson Hall is earmarked to become the new base for the department of curriculum and quality enhancement, the student wellbeing service, the support and disability advice centre, Academic Skills Unit and its occupational health team.

This will only take up the lower three floors of the 10-storey building but it cannot also be used to house students because it only has one entrance.

The St Paul’s Road Sports Hall will house the prayer and chaplaincy service in space created after Ravelin Sports Centre was opened.

The university first unveiled its plans for the Nuffield building in 2020, just before the first Covid-19 lockdown, when the GP surgery was moved to Commercial Road.