March 18, 2021
Southampton City Council has approved Sovereign Centros’ proposals for the regeneration of Leisure World in Southampton. Sovereign Centros, the development manager for the project, unveiled its initial outline plans for the site in May 2020, with the now approved £250 million regeneration set to deliver:
- £250m investment in Southampton city centre opening up new waterfront areas
- Cinema, casino, leisure and wellbeing facilities
- 650 new homes
- Two 150-room hotels
- 80 serviced hotel apartments
- Modern workspace
- Vibrant public realm
- 1000+ jobs
- Much improved linkages within the city centre
The finished scheme will be centred around high-quality public realm, linking a new urban quarter with the wider city, as well as improving connectivity with Southampton’s historic waterfront. It is set to be built across four phases, with works taking place as follows, commencing in 2022:
- Phase 1 – Leisure and a 150-room hotel
- Phase 2 – Workspace and 325 new homes
- Phase 3 – A further 325 new homes and a second 150-room hotel
- Phase 4 – Health and wellbeing facilities
John Marsh, Director at Sovereign Centros, said: “We welcome this decision by the Council to approve our proposals for the Leisure World site.
“There has never been a more important time to bring forward investment in our regional cities. Our plans seek to rejuvenate this strategic site by creating a mixed-use city centre destination that delivers one of the most significant redevelopments Southampton has seen in a long time. It will also help to ensure that the city can emerge in a strong post-pandemic position and in time act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the Mayflower Quarter.”
Corstorphine + Wright are the architects on the scheme. Montagu Evans advised on the planning.
