The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT) and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (PHD) have criticised plans to build a new football stadium on the city’s waterfront.
In a joint statement, the two trusts claimed that Portsmouth Football Club’s plans for a new £600m stadium would not properly regenerate the area between the city’s Gunwharf Quays and the Dockyard.
A spokesperson added that the new stadium would dramatically increase traffic in the area and could dwarf and overshadow the Historic Dockyard.
He said: “PFC’s developer, sellar Property Group, has not yet suggested a viable alternative location for HMS Warrior, which could not occupy the space currently proposed for technical reasons.
“She needs to be positioned where she can continue to mark the entrance to the Historic Dockyard with the status and dignity she deserves.”
PHD is also annoyed that the announcement of the stadium plans came just days before the trust was scheduled to announce plans of its own for the development of the area.
“The trust’s plans depended on maximizing panoramic views of the harbour, but these have now been shelved as a result of the stadium announcement just two weeks before those plans were due to be marketed,” the spokesperson said.
Portsmouth FC plans to move into its new 36,000-seat stadium, a joint venture between the club and Sellar Property, by 2011.
According to the plans, the stadium development would include more than 1,000,000sq ft (92,900sq m) of apartments as well as 1.5 acres of public space with restaurants and cafés.
