University of Portsmouth plans for £250m revamp come under fire

It comes after the University of Portsmouth announced its plans to create new landmark buildings and public spaces in the city as part of an ‘exciting’ £250m investment project. Its plans include creating a new Student Hub for improved wellbeing services, a new modern Technology building, a teaching laboratory building and a revised development at the Victoria Park site.

But students have raised some concerns with particular fears over the potential loss of the students’ union building, and its replacement with a ‘Student Hub’ to connect the Library and the Union building. The building, which hosts popular university events has undergone several redevelopments in the past few years, including the closure of its bar and cafe area. This has raised concerns for students who wish to continue using the Students’ Union building, as it currently is, including societies and student groups who hold meetings in the space.

Students, many of whom are from the local area and live at home rather than in student accomodation, have also raised concerns about parking in the area as they say parking is already difficult to find around the campus. They have said the new redevelopment has no guarantee of a parking spaces on campus, other than for electric cars.

As previously reported by The News, as part of a three-week consultation the university hosted a consultation evening where students and members of the wider community could learn more about the proposals.

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But the university has come under fire for not making students aware of the process for taking part. Sharon Reeves, the mother of a student at the university said: “We weren’t near enough to see or hear what was being said to the many business people, presumably those to whom tickets were offered. There were lots of pretty pictures and models of the planned buildings, but no floor plans, not a lot of information about students or quality of teaching, none that I could tell.

“There was mention of needing to attract students to the city, but no mention of tuition fees; which are currently the national max, the same as every other institution, including the world-renowned historical ones.”

The consultation runs until Sunday, March 3. For more information visit www.port.ac.uk/about-us/our-ambition/building-our-future