15/01/2026
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Major plans to transform a Southampton waterfront site are due back before councillors ten months after giving the scheme the green light.
Members of the city council’s planning and rights of way panel will be tasked with making a further decision on the Town Quay regeneration scheme.
The £235million project from Nicolas James Group, which features a five-star hotel, hundreds of flats, restaurants, bars, retail space and an expanded marina, is yet to receive formal planning permission.
In March last year, councillors resolved to grant planning permission with a four-year commencement period providing a legal agreement between the developer and the local authority was completed within four months.
If the agreement was not completed within four months, the permission would revert to three years, while officers were given delegated powers to refuse the scheme if it was not signed off within six months.
A planning officer’s report to the panel meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, January 20, said there had been steady progress on negotiating the legal agreement and it was close to completion.
While ten months have passed since the panel’s decision, the developer is pressing to secure a four-year permission.
The applicant said a three-year permission would be challenging to meet given the “complexities of the project”.
Officers have recommended that councillors delegate power to grant planning permission with a four-year implementation period subject to the legal agreement being completed within one month of the panel meeting.
The report to the panel said: “It is accepted that the planning application at Town Quay is more complex than usually considered in the city, with the requirement for additional consents outside the planning process and the extensive marine construction works needed
“Furthermore, given the challenging development conditions in the city, it is considered that providing further flexibility may help to secure the regeneration of a significant piece of waterfront and, as such, is warranted in this instance.”
Before development could begin on the scheme, Nicolas James Group would need to secure approval under the Transport and Works Order Act.
This approval would include an agreement to transfer the marina operation from Associated British Ports to the developer.
The relevant application has been submitted but it could take two or more years until a decision is made by the Secretary of State.
The project would to be delivered in two phases over four years.
The first involves strengthening the existing pier and construction of the hotel.
This would be followed by the installation of flood defence wave screens, increasing the berths in the marina to 300, relocation of the foot passenger ferry berths, land reclamation and the construction of the four residential blocks made up of 460 flats.
The hotel features 128 bedrooms and 18 serviced apartments, with a spa, restaurants, bars, conference facilities and a helipad on the roof.
No affordable housing is included due to viability issues, with the developer required to pay a £6million community infrastructure levy and £1.46million to achieve nutrient neutrality.
✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Jason Lewis
