north
A beautiful and sustainable plan for City Centre North
City Centre North
What are we doing and where?
City Centre North is one of Portsmouth’s most significant regeneration opportunities. Covering 13.25 hectares of brownfield land in the heart of the city, the project aims to create a thriving new neighbourhood with new homes, workspaces, leisure opportunities and high-quality public spaces.
The plans include up to 2,300 new homes, new walking and cycling connections, and a significant new urban park linking key parts of the city centre. By bringing more people into the area and improving connections between the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, the project will help support local businesses, attract investment and create a greener, more vibrant city centre for residents and visitors alike
Progress update
In August 2026, Portsmouth City Council selected ECF (English Cities Fund) as its preferred regeneration partner for City Centre North, marking an important step forward for one of the largest regeneration opportunities on the south coast. ECF is a partnership between Homes England’s National Housing Bank, L&G and Muse. Together, ECF and the council will now explore development options, test viability and help shape plans for the future of the site.
Why are we doing this?
The City Centre North project focuses on:
- The future of the city centre and environmental needs
- What you have been telling us through the Local Plan survey and the Imagine 2040 City Vision
- Joining up logically with our other projects in the city centre
- Supporting the need for sustainable, affordable homes
- Enabling a greener city with easier travel
- The local community but also considers attracting visitors
Developing a new substantial green open space in this area will:
- Help people’s physical and mental health
- Improve our natural environment – from the air that we breathe to the variety of wildlife
- Create safer routes for people walking or cycling
- Facilitate cultural and creative activities
- Be a shared space, helping people connect
- Support the local economy by creating new business opportunities that don’t depend on traditional high street shopping
- Provide a safer, healthier environment for homes
How are we doing this?
Portsmouth City Council has selected ECF (English Cities Fund) as its preferred regeneration partner for City Centre North. Following the signing of a Development and Masterplanning Services Agreement (DMSA), ECF and the council will work together to explore development options, test viability and develop a detailed business case for the scheme. Subject to the outcome of this work, the partnership could move forward into a Development Agreement to deliver the project.
City Centre North is one of Portsmouth’s largest regeneration opportunities and has the potential to deliver:
- Up to 2,300 new homes across a mix of tenures
- Workspace, leisure and other commercial uses
- More than 240,000 sq ft of new public spaces, including a significant urban park
- New walking and cycling routes to better connect the city centre with surrounding neighbourhoods
- A development that supports local businesses, increases footfall and contributes to a thriving city centre economy
The recent SEHRT bus improvements in the area have been designed so they can be incorporated into the future City Centre North development.
Plans for the road layout continue to be developed and the community will continue to be involved in shaping proposals for the city centre as the project progresses. We will be inviting residents, businesses and community groups to share their ideas and priorities for the area through city-wide consultation as detailed plans are developed.
Working with ECF
ECF is a partnership between Homes England’s National Housing Bank, L&G and Muse, with a track record of delivering major regeneration projects across the UK. The partnership has been selected by Portsmouth City Council to help develop the next stage of City Centre North, bringing together long-term investment, regeneration expertise and experience of working with local authorities and communities.
Over the coming months, ECF and the council will assess development options, infrastructure requirements, market demand and funding opportunities to help shape the future of the project
Planning
A planning application for City Centre North was approved in autumn 2023 and can be viewed here.
The flexible outline application sets out the potential mix of homes, commercial uses, public spaces and transport connections that could be delivered across the site, including new walking and cycling routes and a major new green space. It also shows how the area could be developed over time and how key site constraints could be addressed.
Latest project images
This is the the latest illustrative masterplan of the proposed City Centre North development.
Below, you can find the artist’s impressions of how various areas of the development could look in future.
Portsmouth Piazza
The new primary gateway to the park within the illustrative masterplan is at the junction of Charlotte Street, Commercial Road and Lake Road. This important entrance point is marked by a new area of public realm – Portsmouth Piazza.
This new axis could link the new park to Portsmouth city centre, and will include ground floor commercial uses, including shops and restaurants with al fresco dining.
Charlotte Street
This is an artist’s impression of what Charlotte Street and the former Tricorn site could look like.
The development aims to bring life back to the street by creating a place the community can connect once more.
Open green space
It’s a council priority to create new green spaces, so a substantial new park will create a new link between St Agatha’s and All Saints Church.
It’ll link to Victoria Park to the south, and enable future connections to the north creating a safe network of cycle paths and pedestrian routes.
Commercial Road
This artist’s impression shows what the north end of Commercial Road could look like.
The proposal aims to re-invigorate Commercial Road with a new transport hub and ground floor commercial uses. A place with a high footfall and within close proximity to Portsmouth & Southsea train station, it is vital that this continues to draw people in despite changes in shopping habits.
