This Portsmouth bottling store could be turned into a £4m housing development

Proposals to ‘sympathetically’ redevelop Brewery House, in Southsea, into 17 flats have been submitted by Portsmouth City Council's development team following public exhibitions held last year.

If approved, the scheme would include adding an extra storey and creating bike storage in the building's basement.

For Kevin Hudson, development manager at the council, it was important a lot of the original structure was preserved. He said: 'The key for us is retaining what we have got here.

‘If we didn't do this and it was taken on by another developer the chances are that they would just knock this building down.

'We will deal with the building sympathetically.'

The project's designer Matt Swanton, from Re-Format Architects, agreed. 'We want to convert it with respect,' he said.

'Although it's not listed it is locally listed which means it's of historic interest. It's regarded as a post-industrial building of which there are lots in Portsmouth that have been re-purposed really well.'

The building was used to store bottles from the Long & Co Brewery across the street, which was destroyed during the Second World War. Portsmouth council bought the premises in the 1950s.

Until four years ago it was used by city Scout groups which have since been re-homed.

Ward councillor Chris Attwell was excited about the site’s prospects. He said: 'I am really looking forward to people having much needed homes here in Southsea. I think this will be an exciting part of Brewery House's history.

'It's a beautiful building and we should be in the business of keeping our beautiful buildings if possible and providing nice places for people to live.'

The development will consist of 13 two-bedroom flats and four one-bedroom flats.

If planning permission is granted then the council hopes to start work on the new homes this summer and have them completed in 2021.

It is not yet known whether they will be marketed at affordable rates or not.