Some are already being redeveloped into housing, community facilities and office space. However many question marks also remain over a number of prime city sites where progress has either ground to a halt - or has been non-existent.
We take a whistle-stop tour across the city to look at 17 key sites across Portsmouth to see what the future (should) have in store for them:
5. Kwik Save, Stubbington Avenue
In March last year, Portsmouth City Council reportedly considered using a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to acquire and redevelop the site, which has been abandoned for over a decade and has become a hotspot for fly-tipping. A council spokesperson confirmed that the property remains under private ownership and that no planning applications or CPOs have been initiated. So at present there are no plans for the site - and no apparent progress either. | The News
6. The Pounds Scrapyard site
Abandoned boats and submarines are being replaced with new homes as the gateway Tipner East site is developed. The former Pounds Scrapyard site - one of the first things you see as you enter the city via the M725 and finding someone willing to take it on to develop it has been a challenge. But now Vivid is transforming the site to 800 homes and community facilities - as well as constructing new sea defences in the area and creating wildlife habitats. Picture: IslandCity.UK Photo: IslandCity.uk
7. Fraser Range
The six-and-a-half acre Fraser Range site in Eastney 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 begin Photo: Artist's impression
8. Knight & Lee, Palmerston Road
The Southsea department store closed its doors on July 13, 2019, after trading for more than 150 years. Since then, developers THAT Group secured planning permission in 2022 to redevelop the former John Lewis outlet on Palmerston Road. The plans, initially approved by the council in 2019, had to be reconsidered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current proposal includes a 43-bedroom hotel, two cinemas, office spaces, a gym, retail establishments, food and drink bars, and an indoor food market. However, since planning permission was granted, there has been visibly little progress on the site. Photo: That Group