Off The Fence by Penny Mordaunt: City’s regeneration projects need to be kept on track

Its services to residents and local developers were poor and they were not progressing the various development sites we have across the city to build new homes, leisure and community facilities, or business premises.

Policies they were supposed to be monitoring such as the growth of HMOs were not being acted on.

They had failed to respond to Homes England which would have enabled them to master plan the St James site.

Earlier this year they were out on notice that they were in danger of being designated.

That means that because their performance is so poor, the public could bypass them and go straight to the Planning Inspectorate.

The Inspectorate is preparing to do this work.

However, the department for levelling Up has given Portsmouth City Council one last chance if they can show improvement by June.

So, we wait and see if they have managed to achieve this.

If the designation is the outcome that will be hugely disappointing, and I am asking the Department for Levelling Up to consider an additional measure - whether or not the designation does go ahead.

I would like the Chief Planning Office to consider moving some of its resources into local authority areas such as Portsmouth.

If we want regeneration projects which have received public funds to be completed swiftly, bringing economic and quality of life benefits to many, we need to bolster planning capacity.

I do not think the council will, left to its own devices be able to concurrently manage these considerable developments, attracted further investment, and give the public the services they deserve.

I have formally asked the Secretary of State to consider this and loan some planning officers to Portsmouth, specifically with progressing well St James, Tipner, and ensuring the lido and other schemes remain on track.

We have worked so hard to decontaminate land and bring it back into use.

We need to do more – with dilapidated buildings and derelict land for our beautiful city to reach its full potential. We can’t continue as we have been. If the council won’t get a grip, others must.