Plans for 25 flats in Copnor unveiled despite some concerns
Plans have been unveiled to demolish a vacant builders’ merchants on Copnor Road and replace it with a block of 25 flats.
The development at 207–217 Copnor Road would be up to five storeys high, offering a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom homes. The developers say the project will “redevelop the underused site” and help tackle the city’s housing shortage. The plans include 9 parking spaces - including two disabled bays, bike storage, and facilities for rubbish and recycling.
The planning documents submitted to Portsmouth City Council also highlight efforts to improve the space: “The proposal has sought to introduce a good level of soft public and private landscaping and ecological interventions to improve the quality of space created.”
However, the plans have received strong opposition from local residents. All 40 public comments submitted about the project object to it, with concerns about parking, traffic, and the impact on local services.
One resident criticised the assumptions about transport: “A building of this size, with the approximate number of bedrooms, would provide a potential occupancy far greater than the actual number of bedrooms.
“The notion and presumption that the majority of occupants will be using public transport, bicycles, and e-scooters is nonsensical. Most will have cars and will use them, and park them.”
Another raised worries about overcrowding and safety: “This area is already significantly overpopulated, and this has caused so many extra cars on the roads. The roads are unsafe when walking my children to school; the pollution levels are at their highest.
“Twenty-five self-contained dwellings could potentially bring 25 extra cars, which in turn will require parking spaces. This also puts pressure on local services like schools, GPs, and dentists. The building is also on several major bus routes, and the site could disrupt these routes and services on Copnor Road.”
Another comment reads: “The proposed building’s height threatens to overshadow our home, blocking this light and blue (or grey) skies we currently enjoy and leaving us in near-permanent shade.
“This height and proximity would lead to a major loss of privacy, as we would be directly overlooked from multiple levels, forcing us to keep our curtains closed and severely affecting our quality of life.”
Portsmouth City Council planners have set January 13 as the target date for a decision on application 24/01195/FUL.