While work is well underway on sites such as at Tipner East, the former Debenhams in Southsea site and former St John’s College sites where new housing has been created, there is frustration that other schemes have stalled.
This comes at time when the government has ordered the city council to allow the construction of 899 homes per year between 2020-2040 - that’s 17,980 in total - meaning that the sites for housing have never been more important.
But it is not just about housing. It is about leisure and retail space - and measures which will bring about a much-needed regeneration to areas of our city which need a bit of TLC!
We take a whistle-stop tour across the city to look at 15 key sites across Portsmouth to see what the future (should) have in store for them in 2026, and why works or plans have ground to a halt:
1. Connect Centre
Once known as Baltic House, the prominent 11-storey office block built in the 1970s sits right at the entrance of our city for those people coming in via the M275. After some changes over the years, plans were approved to convert the Connect Centre into 101 new flats. A separate application also sought to convert the under croft into additional flats has also been approved. However three years has past and there was little progress until updated plans were approved to allow for 175 new homes on the site. New fencing and skips appeared on the site towards the end of the year - so we hope that is a sign that progress will FINALLY be made! | The News
2. Bluewater Care Home
The former Bluewater Care Home is set to be converted into new housing - after plans were finally approved. Originally known as Odd Fellows Hall, it became one of Portsmouth’s most popular venues for live music, dancing through the 1960’s and 70’s before being repurposed as the ‘Hornpipe Arts Centre’ in the 80’s and 90’s with cinema. Following its demise, it was converted in the Regal Palace nightclub in the mid 1990’s but then sat empty for more than a decade before being converted into the Bluewater Care Home in 2014 which then closed in 2023. Plans have now been approved by the city council to transform it into a 57-bedroom HMO for NHS workers. A previous plan for a 64-bed HMO has previously been rejected and this has been dragging on for some time. So hopefully 2026 should see some real progress! | Contributed
3. Debenhams in Commercial Road
This one is so frustrating - as the prime site just sits there empty in our city despite it bursting with potential. The former Debenhams store, which closed in 2021 after the company collapsed, still remains empty despite bold ambitions. Developers have come up with several plans for the site ever since - the latest of which they say involve the construction of three new buildings at the site. The proposals set out three new buildings rising to 29, 20 and 19 storeys, alongside 975 square metres of retail and commercial space. They also include new civic and public areas, plus a total of 724 homes – 366 apartments across two blocks, and 358 co-living units aimed at young professionals. Plans include new public realm and green space linking Arundel Street with Station Street. Both roads will feature new elevations leading to new shops. The developer said it was submitting this latest proposals to Portsmouth City Council imminently. So we hope 2026 will bring forward a decision which will benefit the city. Picture: Sarah Standing Photo: Sarah Standing
4. Fraser Range
Fraser Range was a gunnery training range used to prepare Royal Navy sailors for deployments. The six-and-a-half acre site was home to a 20th-century military training and experimental facility, it was closed in 2006 and has remained vacant ever since. Now plans have been approved to transform it into 134 new homes across seven blocks. The homes will primarily be flats, ranging from one to three bedrooms, alongside seven houses and two duplexes. We are now just waiting for work to finally begin! | Shaun Roster