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:
9. Eden at Gunwharf Quays
The once popular night club venue closed without warning in 2023. Now the space, which was also once Tiger Tiger, is set to be repurposed. It will be divided into three units for food and drink operators, with the final layout depending on tenant requirements. We await progress on this project in 2026 with interest, especially as other changes have been taking place at Gunwharf. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (040720-06) | Chris Moorhouse
10. Tricorn Centre
The ten-storey Tricorn Centre opened in 1966 and in its heyday was a centre for shops, a popular market and the giant carpark. But in the 1980's the centre started to become run down and neglected and plans were drawn up to improve the site - including by adding 50 two storey maisonettes on the upper two decks of the building. Those proposals were rejected. The site - and the empty Pitt Street site on the opposite side of Marketway - were pencilled in for reuse for an ambitious 'Northern Quarter' revamp of the city centre. This led to the demolition of the Tricorn in 2004. However the 'Northern Quarter' plans have not yet come into fruition and the former shopping centre remains a surface-level carpark. But now, new experts are carrying out initial work to help progress a new vision for the cite and surrounding area and we are expecting an update to be given to the city council early 2026. We can't wait to hear what they have to say so that the first crucial steps of this project can finally begin. Pictured: The Tricorn Centre in 1988. | National World Photo: The News
11. The former Royal Marines Museum at Eastney
It is one step forward, and twosteps back for the former Royal Marines Museum at Eastney which is on sale after plans for a 96-room luxury hotel were approved in 2025. If a new buyer can be found - and assuming they want to take forward the hotel plans - it will replace the former museum in Eastney which closed down in 2017 due to its poor condition and concerns about whether exhibits could be damaged. We hope that 2026 will bring some news. But on a more positive note, a new Royal Marines 'experience' is replacing Action Stations at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and will open in 2026! | Malcolm Wells (113899-5547)
12. Former Matalan store in the city centre
It is a case of back to the drawing board for this one (maybe). Matalan, on Station Road, Portsmouth shut in 2023 as the discount retail brand relocated to The Pompey Centre. Planning permission was granted for HMRC to have a new office which will be built in the carpark of the former shop, heralding a new use for the site. But now the government has pulled the plug on the move and HMRC staff will remain at Lynx House (for now at least). Plans were expected to be unveiled soon for a new use for the part of the site where the former shop unit currently sits. Whether another business will take on the approved office space or it will be back to the drawing board for the entire site is now the big question. Photo: Chris Moorhouse