Plans approved to move GP surgery to Commercial Road from University of Portsmouth building earmarked for demolition

The University Surgery has been granted planning permission to relocate from the Nuffield Centre into the former Miss Selfridge Unit in Commercial Road, which has been vacant since 2017.

As reported by The News in March, the need to relocate the surgery, provided by Dr Alalade and Dr Klemenz for nearly 21,000 patients, came due to the University of Portsmouth seeking to demolish the student services building on St Michael’s Road as part of a new sports development.

Planning officers, who approved the proposal on Tuesday, noted that the application would have a number of benefits for the city centre including increasing footfall.

The report read: ‘In the absence of any potential for a viable retail use, the use of the property as a medical centre will provide an alternative city centre activity which will not only increase footfall within the city centre and thus the vitality and support the viability of existing shops but also provide key infrastructure to support future housing growth in the City Centre, increase employment opportunities, assist in reducing vacant frontage along Commercial Road and generate early evening activity which will stimulate the night-time economy.’

The university’s plans to demolish the Nuffield Centre would not go ahead until 2022/23 at the earliest.

A spokesman said: ‘As part of this estate masterplan, the Nuffield Centre is earmarked for demolition subject to the re-provision of student services within a new student centre in the Students’ Union building on Cambridge Road.

‘It is planned to build a new academic building on the Nuffield site which would potentially include new teaching and research space for the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science.

‘The University of Portsmouth is currently building a new sports centre adjacent to Ravelin Park which will include a 25m eight-lane swimming pool, eight-court sports hall, fitness suite, climbing wall, squash courts and a ski simulator. This new facility will open next year to the public, students and university staff.’

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