Plain sailing for Crest’s Southampton shipyard scheme

  Crest Nicholson and US boat builder Palmer Johnson have gained approval for a £500m regeneration of Southampton’s historic former Vosper Thornycroft shipyard site.   Southampton council yesterday gave consent for two separate schemes planned for the Woolston Riverside site, owned by the South East Regional Development Agency.   The project involves the site of the former Vosper Thornycroft shipbuilders in Victoria Road, which closed in 2004 after 100 years, when the company moved manufacturing to Portsmouth.   Crest’s application was for part outline and part full planning permission for its Centenary Quay development.   The scheme comprises 1,600 homes, a 100-bed hotel, offices, supermarket, a library, health centre and three waterfront apartment towers.   A public plaza will be the centre point of the development which will feature shops, cafes and restaurants.   Crest’s initial plans have been revised to substantially increase the housing and commercial development.   The second consented application, from US boat builder Palmer Johnson, proposes a multi-million-pound marine quarter.   Palmer Johnson plans to manufacture yachts up to 100m long at the site from next summer.   Cabinet member for economic development, councillor Royston Smith, said “Centenary Quay will be quite simply magnificent for Woolston and the city.    “The Crest Nicholson application features high-quality design, but we must ensure it is appropriate to the existing surroundings.    “I do not want to see overdevelopment and impacts on parking, transport and vehicular movements for Woolston.  For this reason I objected to the residential part of the Crest Nicholson application.”   paul.norman@egi.co.uk