By Jason Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Businesses and residents in Portswood have expressed anger, disappointment and fears for the future after discovering a major high street redevelopment project had stalled.
Photo: LDRS
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The scheme to replace the Portswood Centre with more than 500 student flats and a reduced overall retail space has been delayed.
Farmfoods, charity shops Sue Ryder and Cancer Research UK, Atlantic Dry Cleaners, The Broadway pub, Croma Locksmiths, Daily Oriental Food, Pizza Hut and Subway all closed ahead of the planned demolition.
Developers have blamed “wider economic challenges” for the hold up, which has left the arcade of shops empty and covered in metal sheeting.
Krishan Khuran, owner of Brookvale Convenience Store in Portswood. Photo: LDRS
Krishan Khurana, owner of Brookvale Convenience Store located directly opposite the site, said he was very worried about the impact on his business.
He said since the pub and food takeaways shut down he has seen his takings drop.
Mr Khurana said: “I’m really on the losing side at the moment until the workers start and it will be a benefit once the student flats come in.
“I’m really upset but I can’t do anything about it.
“I’m at least 20 per cent down.
“For my small business it is a very big impact but I appreciate my regular customers who are still with me.”
Boarded up Portswood Shopping Centre units
Lisa Verma and Vinny Kumar, who have run Sant Jewellers for 11 years, said the Portswood Centre situation was the latest challenge for high street businesses following the controversial bus gate and protests outside Highfield House Hotel over its use as asylum seeker accommodation.
On the row of vacant units, Mr Kumar said: “It is really sad because it has killed that part of Portswood.”
Ms Verma said when they first came to Portswood it was much busier, adding that a lot of customers never came back after the bus gate trial.
She said: “If the council really want to help local businesses they should be allowing free parking.
“Two hours free parking was great.”
Spencer Bowman, founder of speciality coffee café Mettricks and chairman of the Southampton Hospitality Action Group, said the bus gate had been and gone but there were still no public realm improvements, while he shared the concerns over the ongoing hotel protests.
Mr Bowman said: “To have what is now a boarded up derelict shopping arcade at the other end of the high street just makes the whole place feel very unwelcoming.
“The fact there’s not going to be anything happening down there for who knows how long, there is a real risk we end up in a situation a bit like the Bargate Shopping Centre where we have got another stalled development in the city for an indefinite amount of time.
“That is going to have a real world impact on the people that live there and the small businesses that are trying to operate there.”
The council needed to have a renewed focus on refurbishing and upgrading the public realm for all of the high street, Mr Bowman said.
He added: ”It is clear that the previous (bus gate) scheme didn’t work and wasn’t wanted but that doesn’t mean we don’t want a major refurbishment of what is one of the city’s critical district centres.”
‘Upset and outrage’ as Portswood student flats redevelopment stalls
Clare Diaper, one of the team at October Books in Portswood
Clare Diaper, who is a member of the team at October Books, said she hoped traders could work with the developer and the council to find meanwhile uses for the empty units.
Ms Diaper said: “It is a bit of a blow for Portswood but there are opportunities as well.
“Could the council look at some pop-up shops in that space?
“It’s sad we have lost some decent services like the laundrette and the locksmiths.
“I’m always one to look at the positive that can come from this.”
Members of Highfield Residents Association (HRA), who strongly opposed the student flats development, said the community had been left with a “prominent and depressing eyesore” which could become a “complete white elephant”.
The group said it supported the concept of renewing the district centre but without an up to date council policy on commerce, transport and student accommodation needed, it looked like this revival may never happen.
Dr Roger Brown, chairperson of HRA, said: “HRA is very disappointed at yet further blight on the Broadway but hopes that the council as the planning authority can find a way of retrieving the situation.”
Previously
‘Upset and outrage’ as Portswood student flats redevelopment stalls
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