Gosport Railway Station
Number/street name:
The Old Railway
Address line 2:
City:
Gosport
Postcode:
PO12 1FQ
Architect:
Format Milton Architects
Architect contact number:
Developer:
Guinness Hermitage Housing Association.
Planning Authority:
Gosport Borough Council
Planning Reference:
07/00472/FULL
Date of Completion:
Schedule of Accommodation:
8 x 1 bed apartment, 10 x 2 bed apartment, 4 x 2 bed townhouse, 1 x 2 bed duplex, 9 x 3 bed townhouse, 3 x 3 bed duplex
Tenure Mix:
Mixed tenure
Total number of homes:
Site size (hectares):
0.7
Net Density (homes per hectare):
50
Size of principal unit (sq m):
65
Smallest Unit (sq m):
43
Largest unit (sq m):
110
No of parking spaces:
45
Scheme PDF Download
Planning History
In 1841 a railway opened between the London and Southampton Railway at Eastleigh via Fareham to Gosport, where a terminus was built to an Italianate design by Sir William Tite the celebrated designer of the Royal Exchange in London. The terminus was intended to serve Portsmouth across the water. It was sited at Gosport, however, because the railway company was not allowed to breach the Hilsea Lines, the defences at the northern end of Portsea Island protecting Portsmouth. An extension to Royal Clarence Yard was opened in 1846 together with branch lines to Stokes Bay (open from 1863 to 1915) and to Lee-on-the-Solent (open to passengers 1894 to 1931). Due to declining traffic, the connection to Fareham was closed for passenger services on 6 June 1953 with freight working until 30th January 1969 when all rail traffic to Gosport station ceased although trains to the armament depot in Frater ran until the late 1970s. The County Council offered the site for sale by way of a design offer tender process in consultation with Borough Council Officers, for restoration and conversion of the existing buildings and some new development. The Station was marketed with the benefit of a development brief which has been agreed with Gosport Borough Council and English Heritage. The brief has taken into account the concerns of local people and also incorporates solutions to wildlife issues, particularly badgers, highlighted by a specialist, ecological report.
The Design Process
Format Milton developed proposals for tender submission to Hampshire County Council through an open dialogue with the Estates Department. Following the successful tender the scheme has undergone an interactive process of concept, design, evaluation and assessment; the scheme proposals were progressively developed and then presented to the Planning Department for early consultation. Following comments from the Planning Department the scheme was adjusted. This involved the simplification of some elements of the project and further information to enable the pre-application consultation process.
