Southsea's Parisien Hotel is set to be converted into flats

Planning permission has been granted to turn the Parisien Hotel in Southsea into nine two- and three-bedroom flats for an application originally submitted more than three years ago.

Revisions to the scheme were made in 2021 to address concerns around windows overlooking neighbouring windows, but the decision was not made until last Tuesday (March 14) after an agreement was reached on nitrate mitigation.

‘The proposal provides nine good-sized dwellings capable of housing families in a desirable and sustainable location,’ the council report approving the application said. ‘The council has no policy protecting against the loss of hotels and is therefore the scheme is acceptable in principle.’

A condition of the decision is that work has to start within a year, in order to meet requirements around nitrates.

The application will see the 16-bed hotel redesigned to accommodate the nine homes, two of which will be two-storey, with changes to the building including the installation of dormer windows on the top floor.

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According to council documents, Darren Tait said the lack of parking within the scheme would not lead to any extra parking pressures in the area because the hotel is already allowed to apply for 15 parking permits, the same number required for the flats’ would-be residents.

The council said the area was ‘highly sustainable with local amenities, a wide range of bus stops and the Palmerston Road shopping precinct all a short walk away from the site and could quite reasonably support car-free living’.

‘Amendments have resolved concerns around a loss of privacy to the property to the east and the operational development is considered to be acceptable with regards to its coherence with the existing building and the character of the area,’ the report added.

The council’s inability to meet the required five-year supply of land for housing meant ‘significant weight’ was given to approving the application.

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