Seven new flats that 'tidy up' the appearance of a Portsmouth street have been approved

During a virtual planning meeting yesterday (June 10) Portsmouth councillors unanimously ruled in favour of the conversion and extension of an existing building on the corner of Kingston Road and Sultan Road in Buckland.

The ground floor will be retained for two commercial units, with four flats created in the existing first floor and three flats in a new second floor. There will also be a terrace on the second floor and seven car parking spaces.

Speaking at the meeting Councillor Lee Hunt said: 'I think if you look at it we can see it improves the rhythm and line of he buildings fronting the road. It provides accommodation which is of a good standard and room size.

'Rather than going out into our green space this is us going up a bit and I think this is a good way - building above shops brings people living into local shopping areas so they don't need a car so much.

'Public transport, when it is back, is down the road so overall this is a very good planning application. I think the communal area is a good use of the space.'

Cllr Luke Stubbs agreed. 'I think this tidies up and improves the appearance of that line of buildings,' he said.

The proposals included conditions surrounding the environmental impact of the development, with potential for solar panels to be included.

Cllr Lynne Stagg said: 'How pleased I am to see solar panels are involved. Last year we said we need to do something about the air quality in the city.'

Cllr Donna Jones added: 'I think this is a very sensible application.'

The plans are an altered version of previous proposals for the site which included demolishing the current building for eight flats.

Currently the site contains a beauty shop on the group floor and a children's creche on the first floor. It is thought both these businesses could potentially operate from the ground floor of the new development.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.