St John's College in Portsmouth: Housing plans unveiled for former Southsea school site

Southsea Village Ltd, a subsidiary of Nicolas James Group, has applied for permission to redevelop the site, describing its scheme as a “unique opportunity” to repurpose the site. Senior city cabinet members have cautiously welcomed the proposals, with praise for converting most of the existing buildings in favour of widespread demolitions to make way for the new housing.

The application, which has been submitted in full, rather than the outline, less detailed, process usually chosen for larger developments, proposes 212 new homes across the grounds of the former independent school which closed last year due to declining student numbers.

“The proposal provides the opportunity to significantly benefit the conservation area by bringing a vacant site, set within the heart of the Owens Southsea conservation area back into a beneficial and viable use,” a statement submitted with the application says. “The proposals will ensure the long-term preservation of the site and listed buildings in a sympathetic manner, preventing the buildings from falling into a state of disrepair.”

The developer said it was aiming to “sympathetically” repurpose many of the college buildings to create a “highly sustainable new neighbourhood” which it said would be a “worthy addition” to the city.

Nicolas James Group bought the site earlier this year and said it would retain ownership of the new homes and rent them out. A consultation event was held in June to gather public feedback on its ambitions for the site and there has also been engagement with city councillors ahead of the application’s submission.

“When we bought the site, we were aware how embedded St John’s College was in the community and how many local residents will have fond memories of it,” company chairman Nicolas Roach said at the time. “The regeneration of the college presents a rare opportunity to provide much-needed rental housing in the heart of Southsea, on a much-loved site that is sadly falling into an increasing state of disrepair.”

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Councillor Hugh Mason, who represents the ward that includes the college and is also the cabinet member for planning policy, said there were still matters that needed to be resolved but praised the developer’s overall ambitions.

“There are a number of questions that still need to be answered,” he said. “One of those that quite a few people have raised to me is that of car parking.

“But generally there’s been a welcome for the plans because they are preserving the buildings that are valuable to the community.”

According to the submitted plans, should the council approve the development, 109 parking spaces would be provided across the site.

The council’s leader and cabinet member for economic development, councillor Steve Pitt, a former student of the school, added: “It’s good that they have clearly listened to the feedback they’ve been given over the last few months.

“There were concerns about their plans for the buildings and it’s good to see that most of them are going to be converted rather than demolished.”

The council has set a target of December 22 for reaching a decision on the application.

The developer has also created a website for the project, click here for more information.