The first phase of the Priddy's Hard regeneration a in Gosport, Hampshire has been granted planning permission.
At a cost of £30million, the project on the former MoD site is part of the wider that will turn the dilapidated naval Armaments Centre dating back to 1750 and will be delivered by Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT) in partnership with Elite Homes. Dating back to the mid-18th century, the site was the epicentre of the Royal Navy's gunpowder stores.
The scheme will provide a total of 30 new homes, including four, three-storey homes on the plot of a former cookhouse. The regeneration will also include the development of a ‘Coastal Forces Museum’ and a brewery with bar and restaurant. The planning permission is believed to be the first granted for the construction of new homes in south Hampshire since an embargo laid down by Natural England to prevent possible nitrate pollution of the Solent and harbours. Gosport Council has confirmed that Natural England has now accepted its proposals to mitigate the impact the new housing will have on the release of nitrates to allow the development to proceed.
Priddy's Hard site is a 40-acre site, located on the western shore of Portsmouth Harbour, that was bought by PNBPT from Gosport Borough Council in 2009.
Peter Goodship, Consultant Chief Executive of PNBPT, said that the regeneration “represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to succeed with breathing new life into this strategic site and helping to position Portsmouth Harbour as one of the greatest harbours in the world.”