Good news for the city centre!

Elegant...?

Southampton is one city that has had more than its fair share of inappropriate developments over the years as can be witnessed by anyone driving around the city. However today I voted on the Planning & Rights of Way Panel for two very exciting schemes that could both breath life into our city centre. The first was a development of four seperate buildings, comprising a 21 storey hotel, an 'apart hotel' (hotel with guest kitchens effectively), some flats, an office block and a new public space area on the old Ambulance station site (off East Park Terrace and St Andrew's road). I was impressed how the developer had worked with the council to work up a much more ambitious scheme than they had originally intended. I thought it was a well balanced mix-use development in an area that desperately needs regeneration and hope the end result will look both striking and attractive. The buildings are effectively sold, the offices going to a major financial institution and the 200 bed hotel to Radison.
The second development was at the City College in St Mary's Street and involved removing the revolting 1960s concrete monstrosities and replacing them with some quite attractive new buildings as well as restoring the original workhouse, removing the porch the vandals had put on in the 1980's. The development will open up the aspect of the Church from the side of the college and again the scheme breath life into an area that needs redeveloping. A short description of the work can be read HERE
in some other applications of note, I voted to stop the destruction of some perfectly good family housing in Bassett, to be replaced by a most inappropriate block of flats (Labour & the Lib-Dems supported it), in favour of a new pontoon at Drivers Wharf and some new student accomodation and a bar next to the So-Bar in my old stomping ground in Bevois Valley.