MP says Cosham has been ‘neglected for too long’ as vacant buildings remain

A Portsmouth MP has called on the council to unlock a string of vacant Cosham buildings for new homes, describing the opportunity as a “no brainer”.

Amanda Martin, Labour MP for Portsmouth North, said areas like Cosham have been “neglected” when it comes to Portsmouth’s regeneration “for too long”.

But Portsmouth City Council has said it has identified potential uses for delict buildings - but the owners need to come forward with the plans.

She described Cosham as a “thriving neighbourhood” with a “busy high street”, which is close to QA Hospital and has good bus and railway links.

“But as you enter Cosham from the South, you are met with empty building after empty building.”

The buildings include the former Cosham health centre, former police station, former fire station, former telephone exchange, Byng’s Court, Phrem Carpet Shop and Castles Furniture.

She said she’s been working with Homes England “to unlock the disused buildings along the Cosham Corridor for housing”.

“There’s a real opportunity here. But there’s nothing in Portsmouth City Council’s local plan about redeveloping this area, they don’t seem interested in its potential.”

Rather than allow the sites to remain unused, she said the council should bring landowners and public bodies together “to develop a coordinated housing programme for the corridor”.

She said her Government has introduced national planning policies that stipulate a “default yes” for homes within a reasonable walking distance of railway stations.

She said that “the national support is there, now Portsmouth City Council must match this ambition with a local strategy to unlock this disused land for new housing.”

Portsmouth’s housebuilding was also criticised, as the city built 40 new homes in 2024/25 compared with 438 in Southampton.

“How can it be that with the severe housing crisis in our city, our council are letting Southampton be 10 times better at house building than us.”

She said she’s “deeply disturbed” about the spread of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) as a vehicle to address the housing shortage in the city.

“The only sustainable solution is going full throttle to unlock proper quality homes in the places they are needed across our city. That’s why areas like this matter.

The former Cosham Health centre and adjoining GP surgery on Vectis Way/Northern Road closed in March 2023 due to staffing crises and the deteriorating 1970’s building. In August this year the NHS sold it to developer Questmap Limited.

The former Police station on Wayte Street closed its doors to the 1960’s building in May 2021 before the force moved into the joint fire and police station on Northern Road in September 2024.

Similarly, the former Fire station on Wayte Street was closed and replaced with the new facility. Part of the old station building has been converted into a MOT garage following planning approval in August last year, and a nursery has also opened at the site.

The Former Cosham Telephone Exchange opened in 1951 on Northern Road before operations shifted to newer facilities on Vectis Way.

Byng’s Court, or the former Royal Mail Sorting Office, is located on Northern Road and shut in 2016 to make way for a new facility in voyager park in Copnor.

The Prem Carpet Store and Castles Furniture on Northern Road have both closed permanently, with the former being converted into the Junk Emporium.

Questions surrounding a disused plot of opposite the former Cosham Social Club on Wayte Street have been ongoing.

In response, councillor Hugh Mason cabinet member for planning policy and city development said: “We are committed to support the delivery of new homes and always willing to work with partners, including Homes England and local MPs.

“Many of the sites in the Cosham are not owned by the Council, so we cannot bring them forward for development. Our role is to identify suitable sites through the planning process and determine any applications submitted by landowners. A number of these sites in Cosham have been identified.

“For example, Roebuck House has planning permission for 50 homes, the former Cosham Health Centre is identified as a deliverable site with capacity for around 70 homes, and the former police station is identified as a developable site with capacity for around 60 homes. The former fire station and former telephone exchange have both been confirmed by their owners as not currently available for development.

“Portsmouth cannot be compared to Southampton. It has a unique set of local environmental constraints to manage. The Council has approved thousands of homes through planning permissions, but the pace at which they are built is determined by the landowners and developers.”