Transformation of former gasworks site set for approval

Plans to redevelop a former Southampton gasworks site into a four-building residential unit look set to be given the green light next week.Property developers Hawkstone Properties and SGN place, with Savills as acting as the agent, submitted the application to Southampton City Council two years ago.The key components of the scheme include 384 build to rent residential units, more than 10,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace, a restaurant/café, and a community hall/meeting space.The site has been vacant for a number of years and the proposal is considered to be a platform to deliver well needed housing for the city, as well as the provision of employment opportunities.It is also suggested that the redevelopment of the site could act as a catalyst to development in the wider Itchen Riverside area, which is a strategic aim of the Council.There is also the potential for the area to act as a key ‘gateway’ linking the city centre and Itchen Riverside areas, with links to the city centre, old Northam Road, the footbridge across the railway, alongside the St. Mary’s football stadium and to the Itchen Riverside waterfront area.