One Stop granted permission to open new Portsmouth shop at The Hard

The company applied in June to change the front of Brunel House and install bollards and equipment to pave the way for it to move into the building. Three planning applications were approved earlier this week although council planners refused permission for the front of the building to be reclad saying there were “no public benefits” to changing the appearance of the building which falls with in the conservation area.

A heritage statement submitted on behalf of One Stop said the shop would not have a negative effect.

“In order to occupy the ground floor areas of the building and for it to support the local community through the provision of a functional convenience store, the installation of refrigerators, freezers, etc are essential to ensure longevity of produce and foods within the store,’ it said.

“The proposals will have no detrimental effects on the conservation area of Gunwharf nor any of the listed buildings nearby.”

Despite refusing the panels, the council has approved all the other measures it said were necessary for the shop. Should it open, it will be the chain’s fourth store in the city.

Brunel House was controversially converted into flats beginning in 2019 under planning rules that allowed the work to take place without a full planning application being needed. Concerns were raised that this allowed many of the ‘rabbit hutch’ flats to be just half the size of minimum space standards set by the government. Work to convert the building into 153 studio flats was completed last year after being delayed by the pandemic.

In 2014 Bouygues Development proposed building a 40-storey block of flats on the site but its plans were abandoned after the scheme was rejected by a council planning committee the following year.