Brits drawn to 'dynamic and vibrant' Portsmouth with new data showing thousands have made city their new home

Whether they moved for work opportunities, vibrant culture, a sunny retirement, or to be closer to friends and family, more than 14,000 new arrivals came to the city in the 12 months to June 2019.

According to internal migration data from the Office of National Statistics, a total of 14,258 people arrived in the city from elsewhere in the UK.

With the majority of migrating Brits heading to Portsmouth from local areas, the pull is greatest for people in Havant with 1,307 moving to here in this period.

Hundreds also came from Fareham, Southampton, Gosport, East Hampshire, and some from slightly further afield, namely Winchester, Bournemouth, Chichester, and the Isle of Wight.

Perhaps unexpectedly, the data also showed that 221 people moved to Portsmouth from Croydon, south London.

It’s not possible to get accurate data for the total number of people who left the city.

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Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North and paymaster general, said: ‘Portsmouth is a place that is on the up.

‘It is a great place to live and work. In addition to that a great deal of effort has been made in attracting certain professions to the areas - for example teachers and those looking to locate their businesses here.

‘That is good news, but we must ensure that we are developing sensibly, bringing disused and dilapidated businesses back into use and not impacting on the small amount of green space we have.’

The ONS data also reveals the areas of the country where the most people are drawn to Portsmouth from.

In the same year to 2019, people migrated from Portsmouth to Southampton, the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, the New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester, Adur, Arun, Chichester and Worthing.

Jane Singh, Portsmouth City Council's Visit Portsmouth tourism and marketing manager, said: ‘Portsmouth is a dynamic and vibrant waterfront city packed with things for both residents and visitors to enjoy.

‘From our proud naval and maritime heritage, to towering world-class visitor attractions, museums and galleries, unique shopping destinations, great places to eat and miles of beautiful waterfront, Portsmouth offers something for absolutely everyone.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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