Where:

Portsmouth is a naval city located on the South coast of England in the County of Hampshire. 

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When:

The new development took 3 years to complete and opened in 2001. 

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Background

Portsmouth harbour was established as the site of HMS Vernon by the Navy in 1923 and as a naval base it specialised in mine warfare, even becoming integral in the D-Day preparations. The site was decommissioned in 1986 and at the time, the council were keen to use the land to build and grow the prosperity of the city which was in a period of economic-downturn due to a shortage of jobs, lack of attractive public open space and lack of inward investment. During development, the site offered huge challenges owing to it’s status as a Conservation Area and previous uses however private finance was ultimately able to successfully deliver the scheme.  

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Regeneration process:

• A limited partnership between Berkeley Group Plc and Land Securities Plc saw a regeneration model that sought to enable growth and competitiveness. 

• Classic waterfront regeneration style, similar to that of Boston, saw a leisure destination, complete with outlet shopping center, hospitality venues and museums and attractions, created. A classic landmark structure was also created in the form of the Spinnaker Tower that aimed to raise the profile of the area.

• Conservation principals were used to regenerate the old docks to both retain Portsmouth's rich maritime heritage and protect the site's 4 scheduled ancient monuments.

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Success?

• The historic docks have been sympathetically regenerated and now provide a high quality public realm as well as informative attractions such as the Mary Rose and HMS Victory museums. 

• 1.2 million visitors are estimated to visit the historic dockyards annually however a majority of shops along with the development itself are owned by large international companies so profits do not always benefit the local community. This can be seen with many areas of Portsmouth still lacking much needed investment and improvement, despite the estimated £160m value of the Gunwharf development. 

• The developers delivered on their pledge to expand the size of the public realm in the area however its POPS designation means that it is manned 365 days per year.

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(All information gathered from: https://gunwharf-quays.com/history-gunwharf-quays)