Decision on converting wing of Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea into flats will be made next week

Members of the Portsmouth City Council planning committee refused permission for the Royal Beach Hotel redevelopment project earlier this year because eight of the 29 flats proposed for the site fell below living space standards.

A revised application changing the layout of the rooms to address these concerns was submitted by developer Farid Yeganeh in the wake of this decision and will be put before the committee at its meeting on Wednesday (November 9).

SEE ALSO: Stunning pictures of hotels from the past in Portsmouth and Southsea

Despite five of the flats still falling short of the national space standards, a report recommends planning permission be granted.

'When compared with the previous application, which had shortfalls in eight flats of between 7.14sqm and 7.52sqm, the proposal is also a significant improvement,' it says. 'Given the proposal seeks to convert part of an existing historical building, these minor shortfalls are considered to be acceptable and would not compromise the quality of accommodation.'

The shortfalls in the latest scheme range from 0.16sqm to 1.09sqm.

Planning permission was previously granted by the council for a 40-flat scheme but this was abandoned during the pandemic because it would not meet post-Grenfell building regulation changes.

‘We looked at the space we had and decided the building lent itself to have fewer, but slightly bigger units, so we asked our architects to create an alternative set of drawings for us to consider which was the better option,' said Mr Yeganeh following the submission of the new designs.

‘Having received the plans, the new scheme we felt was not only better for the building but also more in keeping with its seafront location.’