Some are being turned into something new, some are being re-let and others are still just standing empty waiting for someone to want them. As a result it can be difficult to keep track of what is happening where – so we have looked at 13 well-known sites across the city and surrounding towns and examine what is in their future.
1. U Need Us
Much-loved U Need Us on the corner of Arundel and Slindon Street had been a part of the community for 95 years before it closed in 2019. It has had very little use since then and is currently sitting empty. Photo: Kelly Brown
2. Matalan, Portsmouth
Matalan, on Station Road, Portsmouth shut in 2023 as the discount retail brand relocated to The Pompey Centre. The site is currently empty, however HMRC is set to relocate there in a new development called The Goodsyard with planning permission for a new four-story building on the carpark. It will be the new home of the UK tax office after HM Revenue and Customs agreed to buy and occupy the 60,000-square-foot property being built on the site of the shop's former car park. Another planning application for the former shop unit itself is expected in the future but has not yet been submitted. Picture: Chris Moorhouse Photo: Chris Moorhouse
3. Burtons, Gosport
The Burtons store in the High Street of Gosport has been closed since 2021 after Boohoo.com purchased the brand from Arcadia and turned it into an online-only brand. However permission has recently been given to convert it into a new McDonald's after Gosport Borough Council granted planning permission. It is expected to open later this year. Photo: Contributed
4. Debenhams - Commercial Road
Debenhams in Portsmouth's Commercial Road closed in March 2021 as a result of the fall out from the Covid lockdown. Since then, the site, including its car park, has remained vacant and has visibly deteriorated, becoming an eyesore. Since then there has been much talk about what to do with the site and its future - with the latest proposals seeing the site transformed to create a 35-storey skyscraper featuring hundreds of homes and retail units. The plans, submitted to Portsmouth City Council, also include three other additional buildings of 23, 15, and five storeys also planned, offering residential accommodations alongside retail and indoor recreational facilities. No decision has yet been made. Photo: -