Plea to back MP campaign over the long-delayed Knight and Lee revamp
Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan is urging residents to back his campaign for progress on the long-delayed Knight and Lee redevelopment.
Mr Morgan has launched an open letter to developers THAT Group, calling on them to speed up work on the project. Local people can show support by signing the letter online.
THAT Group won planning permission in 2022 to transform the former department store on Palmerston Road into a 43-bedroom hotel, two cinemas, offices, a gym, shops, food and drink venues, and an indoor food market.
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Morgan said: “Like me, I know Portsmouth people are growing increasingly frustrated with ongoing delays to the redevelopment of the former Knight & Lee building.
“The site holds significant importance to the identity of Southsea and its local economy, and it has long gone past time that we saw progress on the site to breathe new life into Palmerston Road.
“I hope local people and traders will back me in calling on the developer to speed up their plans so we can see this jewel in Southsea’s crown restored to our high streets.”
Mr Morgan chairs a regular forum with Palmerston Road businesses, focusing on safety and improvements to the area. At the most recent meeting, members agreed to write to THAT Group demanding faster action on the redevelopment.
Residents can show their support by signing the open letter here: www.stephenmorgan.org.uk/add-your-name-knight-and-lee/.
The Knight and Lee department store, one of just two John Lewis shops in the UK to keep its original name, was the first the retailer had closed since 2006. At 35,000 sq ft, it was the smallest full-range department store and proved difficult to modernise.
Originally opened in Southsea in 1865, it was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership in 1933 and closed on 13 July 2019 after more than 150 years of trading.