Decision delayed on bid to turn Cosham Royal British Legion building into flats

Portsmouth City Council’s planning committee voted to defer its debate on the Sixth Avenue scheme to allow negotiations with developer Lawish One Ltd, which said it could not make any contribution.

A financial valuation found the development would not be profitable enough to warrant including any affordable housing, despite a council target of 40 per cent in larger schemes.

The council said it was not viable even at 100 per cent private housing, prompting a request that further negotiations take place after a decision was reached. The report had recommended planning permission be granted.

But councillors said they wanted this to take place before any decision is taken on whether to approve the development.

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Councillor Darren Sanders, whose proposal it was to defer the debate until the next meeting of the committee in April, said a ‘sensible period of discussion would be useful’.

‘My view is that this site should be developed, however we have got, for the first time since the Kingston Prison development, a situation with a scheme presented to the committee that may not reach the reasonable profit level,’ he said.

‘I understand the desire to have the negotiations after a decision has been taken, but I think that, given we’re in a situation where any scheme won’t reach viability, it seems sensible to have those discussions and then have the outcome of those discussions come back to the committee.’

This was supported by both the council’s leader Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson and the committee’s vice-chairwoman Cllr Judith Smyth.

Cllr Smyth said there was a ‘looseness’ around affordable housing and said developers needed to be prioritising it.

‘We do really need affordable housing and we do have a policy on that and we don’t have all the reasons to go against that here,’ she added.

The building has been empty for several years. According to council tax records it closed completely in January 2021.

Daryl Howells, the planning agent for the developer said the proposed 23-flat block would create ‘spacious, well-lit flats’ in a ‘highly-sustainable location,’ justifying a shortfall in parking spaces.

‘The provision of the 23 flats will positively contribute towards the housing stock in the area and offer economic benefits to nearby businesses and services,’ he added.

The application is now due to return at next month’s committee meeting, however council officers said it may not be possible to completed negotiations in that period and that it may need to be delayed until the following meeting at the end of May.