Plans finally green-lit to build swanky new Land Rover dealership in Portsmouth

Members of Portsmouth City Council's influential planning committee approved the Guy Salmon scheme in January 2020 but the lack of an agreement over ecological measures, combined with the council's purchase of Lakeside site in North Harbour, delayed this.

At the beginning of this year the committee agreed for a second time to grant planning permission, backing the recommendation of a report by planning officers. It followed a previous meeting in August 2021 to discuss the delayed application.

‘In determining the previous application for a car showroom, it was demonstrated that the office development previously permitted could be provided elsewhere on the wider Lakeside site,’ it said. ‘It was therefore determined that allowing the car showroom would not prejudice the delivery of office development on the site as a whole.

‘There has since been no material change in the policy position that would warrant a different determination. The principle of the proposed car showroom is therefore considered to remain acceptable.’

Minor changes were made to the plans, making the main dealership building smaller and improving the view of its showroom from the access road.

The committee's decision was subject to legal agreements around habitat management being reached, including the designation of nearby land for ecological purposes.

This was signed off at the end of last month, prompting the final granting of planning permission earlier this week.