Plans to build new HMRC offices at former Matalan site set for approval
Plans to build HMRC’s new city-centre office building are set to be given the green light.
Portsmouth City Council’s planning committee will meet on November 13 to decide on the four-storey office building for the government’s tax, payments, and customs authority with officers recommending that the proposals be granted permission.
If approved, the new building will occupy a 0.4-hectare site off Station Road which was formerly occupied by Matalan and is currently used as a car park. It will also be situated close to Portsmouth and Southsea Railway Station.
The planning application proposes redeveloping this space into a modern, four-storey building with 5,400 square metres of internal office space, 38 parking bays, and 59 bicycle spaces. Planning documents describe the development as a way to maximise the “prominent” city-centre location and as a “generator for Portsmouth’s ongoing evolution”.
A key feature of the building will be a roof terrace, providing a communal space for staff and visitors. The terrace will be accessible from the centre and southern ends of the building and will include planting designed to screen the office interiors for privacy. In addition to grassy areas and seating, there will be a dedicated section for staff who bring dogs to the office.
HMRC will own the freehold of the building and, together with the Marine Management Organisation, will occupy most of the office space. Staff are expected to relocate from their current base at Lynx House in Northern Road, Cosham.
Council officers have recommended approval for the development, stating that it represents an “appropriate scale, form and design” and would be a “positive addition to the city centre”. They highlighted the benefits of an “enhanced” public space and the “substantial economic and social benefits from the provision of a significant amount of employment space in a highly sustainable and accessible location”.
Approval is recommended subject to 26 conditions, which include measures for noise control, building energy efficiency, and the development of a travel plan, among others.
Public feedback on the proposal has been minimal, with no significant objections raised. The Portsmouth Society submitted the only comment on the application, praising it as a “well-designed” project.