Northern quarter development
The £500 million plan to turn the Northern Quarter into a shopping haven has been postponed and will now be complete and open by 2015. The City Growth Business Group is maximising the opportunity that is presented by this delay.
The plan was put on hold in the midst of the recession in 2009 as developers felt it wasn't economically viable.
The exciting regeneration project, in which London-based Centros Miller is involved, features two brand new anchor stores, John Lewis and Marks and Spencers, and around 80 shops, cafes and restaurants. The area will cement Portsmouth’s reputation as a first-class shopping destination and will also include a luxury 4-star hotel, well-situated apartments and further parking spaces. Another part of the redevelopment plan involves updating the road around the area and hopefully reducing congestion; good news for residents and shoppers alike.
It's hoped that the Northern Quarter will become an anchoring site in the city centre and, when partnered with the new-look Commercial Road, it will bring excitement and interest back into the heart of the city. It’s also expected that other shops will be encouraged to move to the area. Construction should begin in 2013, finishing by 2015.
Meanwhile City Growth has successfully won funding to create 50 jobs for long term unemployed 18 - 24 year-olds in Portsmouth to work on improving the city centre, turning the disappointment of the delayed development into positive progress for Portsmouth.