Derelict 150-year-old Royal Navy Rum Store in Gosport set to be transformed as public urged to have their say

People are being asked to have their say about how to change the waterfront site at Victoria Quay in Gosport. The public consultation will be held at the Weevil Lane offices of UK Docks Marine Services - the company which owns the dilapidated site - next Tuesday (November 12) between 4pm and 7pm.

Organisers are hoping to gather lots of opinions about the future of the historic building, with £22m being put towards it from government Levelling Up funding and UK Docks. The hope is to make the site a destination for businesses and visitors while creating more jobs.

Ben Mason, portfolio manager at UK Docks, said: “We’re really looking forward to the consultation both in terms of showing visitors details of the plans for what’s going to happen and also listening to what they have to say about the development. The community's feedback from this consultation will help shape the proposals for the building, which will be submitted for planning approval later this year.

“We’re particularly keen to hear the views of those living near the site and those living in Gosport itself who we hope will be regular visitors once the Rum Store works are complete. We’re very excited about the work ahead because it will help bring this whole area back to life and return it to being the thriving hub of activity it once was.

“This will be very much a working building about we hope to make it a destination site for the marine industry base which we’ve already started to build here at Victoria Quay. Once completed, there will be many types of opportunity for leasing and it should be very attractive for businesses. So, it’s very important to explain to people exactly what will be happening over the next couple of years and also to hear the thoughts of the public on the plans.”

The Rum Store is one of the largest and most storied within the former Royal Clarence Yard. Originally built with an additional storey, the building was damaged during bombing raids in the Second World War leading to the removal of its top floor. With Levelling Up funding being used to restore the site, carefully restore the building, honouring its rich past while rebuilding the upper floor. The plan is to create a stunning rooftop bar where visitors can take in panoramic views over Portsmouth Harbour - creating 150 to 200 jobs and injecting a projected £11m into the local economy every year.

Storyboards will lay out the work which will be done ahead of the grade-II listed building’s reopening in 2026. It used to be at the heart of the Royal Navy supply chain during Victorian times when sailors were given ‘rum rations’ during their service in what was the biggest fleet in the world. UK Docks Marine Services is leading the project alongside local firm Pritchard Architecture, with support from Gosport Borough Council.

Giles Pritchard, founder and director of Pritchard Architecture, described the Rum Store as “one of Gosport’s significant heritage assets”, which is important to telling the story of the Royal Navy. He said: “We have a great sense of pride in restoring this local building which has lain derelict for many years. UK Docks had the ambition to bring the wider site back into marine use, and we are thrilled to be working alongside them with creativity and passion to realise this vision.”

Mr Pritchard added: “At the outset of a project, we carry out research to understand the heritage and historic development of a building so we make the right decisions on repairs and alterations. By understanding a site’s historic development, we can design solutions which enhance the building and its wider site whilst weathering beautifully in its existing setting.”

The application reference 24/00305/LBA was received and validated by Gosport Borough Council planning on September 13. Further details can be found here.