The News Centre in Portsmouth set to be transformed into 'super' bus depot

The News Centre in London Road has been empty since previous owner DMG Media shut down its operations in July last year, ending five decades of newspaper printing from the site.

IN PICTURES: Looking back at The News Centre // Inside the print hall at The News Centre

Simon Goff, First’s managing director, said the project was a ‘significant’ investment in Portsmouth and that it would bring about improvements to its services. The new ‘super depot’ is opposite its existing Hilsea base behind the Shell petrol station.

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The announcement comes less than a month after the firm was awarded millions more pounds in funding to boost the size of its electric bus fleet to more than 60 vehicles. The first of these vehicles is due in a year’s time and will be based from its Hoeford depot.

First Bus has pledged to operate a ‘fully zero emission fleet’ by 2035 and said the new depot would be a key milestone in meeting this.

‘We are thrilled to have secured this new site and to share the good news with our customers and our colleagues,’ Mr Goff said. ‘This will have a massive impact for the better on the daily working lives of our hard-working staff and we cannot wait to share the improvements with our customers as well.

‘This represents a significant investment and future commitment to providing zero-emission bus services in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.’

Construction of the new depot is expected to begin in the next few months and last between two and three years.

First Bus has not confirmed its plans for its existing Hilsea base.

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Councillor Lynne Stagg, Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for transport, welcomed the company’s decision to choose a site in the city.

‘We are delighted to hear the news that First will be creating their “super bus depot” here in Portsmouth,’ she said. ‘This demonstrates a huge commitment to public transport in our city and will provide a home for the electric bus fleet, helping us to provide clean, zero emission public transport across Portsmouth.’

The site was previously identified as a long-term option for building as many as 250 homes.

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Hilsea councillor Scott Payter-Harris, the Conservative opposition spokesman for transport, said he supported First Bus’ decision, saying it was ‘never a realistic site for housing’.

‘It’s excellent to see this site will be used for sustainable transport for Portsmouth in the future and I’m so glad they’ve chosen Hilsea as its home,’ he said. ‘Portsmouth needs a transport network that works for everyone.

The News Centre was first used by The News after it moved to the site from Stanhope Road in 1969. It remained the newspaper’s base until 2013 when advertising and editorial staff moved out.

Printing continued there until it was sold to DMG Media, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Metro and i newspapers in 2020. Details of the updated ownership have yet to be published by the Land Registry.