Portsmouth set for '˜New York skyline' in £500m city centre plans

That’s the vision Councillor Donna Jones, leader of the city council, revealed at a meeting this morning at the Spinnaker Tower.

Following the announcement of a ‘crucial’ £60m road scheme for the city centre that will involve the creation of a dual carriageway and market square, Cllr Jones, unveiled the ambitious proposal that would radically change the look of Commercial Road.

She said: ‘As you come down the bottom of the M275, the vision is to have a New York skyline laid out in front of you.

‘We want to create a sense of place and purpose for the city centre which will come through the building of new towers in the city centre.’

Cllr Jones added that only through the city centre road scheme could the masterplan come to fruition as the new road layout will open up land needed for development.

The vision is being developed by the council but would be constructed and funded by developers.

A total of 2,600 flats and ‘Grade A’ business space would be built on the site between Princess Royal Road and the Cascades Shopping Centre.

It would lead to the demolition and relocation of the Morrisons and Sainsbury’s supermarkets in the centre.