- Mobile site
- E-Newsletters
-
- News feed
- Find us on Twitter
@dailyecho
Daily Echo on Twitter
@the_saints
Saints News on Twitter
SceneSouth
Leisure news on Twitter
- Find us on Facebook
Facebook
Daily Echo on Facebook
Work begins on £23.5m landmark tower (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Work begins on Southampton City Gateway project in Swaythling
4:00am Thursday 28th February 2013 in News By Echo Reporter
An artist's impression of Southampton City Gateway
WORK has begun on a £23.5m, 15-storey tower in Southampton.
Designers of the Southampton City Gateway in Swaythling say it will become one of Southampton’s most distinctive landmarks.
Yesterday work began on the ambitious project, which will provide 364 rooms for University of Southampton students, plus a community medical centre and a pharmacy.
The site’s developers hope to finish construction work next summer, in time for the university students to move into the building at the start of the next academic year.
Two previous schemes for the site in Parkville Road failed before French construction firm Bouygues took on the project in 2009.
After the scheme was held up for several years by a variety of different issues, such as car parking capacity and consultation among the neighbouring community, city council chiefs finally approved the scheme last year.
The student accommodation will be within the elliptical tower block and two six-storey wings, while on the ground floor the medical centre will be occupied by the Stoneham Lane Surgery.
As well as the medical centre and a Lloyds Pharmacy at ground floor level, there will also be four retail units, one of which is likely to be occupied by a convenience store.
Other work will include surface car parking for 32 vehicles, resurfacing works on Parkville Road and an upgrade for the nearby Market Buildings car park.
Construction work will be carried out by Portsmouth company Warings, which is owned by Bouygues.
Warings was responsible for the 17-storey Duke Street student accommodation and the Southampton Airport terminal, and is currently building the 26-storey tower in Ocean Village, which will become the tallest building in the city when work is completed next summer.
Comments(23)
mr.southampton
says...
9:15am Thu 28 Feb 13
rhubarbrhubarb
says...
10:13am Thu 28 Feb 13
mr.southampton wrote:haha - couldn't agree more!
Why keep referring to this as a 'landmark' It's hardly the Eiffel Tower, or the Shard is it? Not even the spinnaker tower ffs.
kingnotail
says...
10:34am Thu 28 Feb 13
Micle1974
says...
10:45am Thu 28 Feb 13
As per previous messages....its hardly a landmark - Nobody will ever stop and take photos of it and think WOW.
How long before flags are hanging from the windows
PS Car parking for the doctors surgery is going to be a nightmare!!
Im thinking of moving to Burgess Road surgery because there's going to be nowhere to park for patients
dartman
says...
12:42pm Thu 28 Feb 13
bigfella777
says...
1:07pm Thu 28 Feb 13
sarfhamton
says...
2:18pm Thu 28 Feb 13
dartman wrote:I agree, more purpose built student accommodation around the UNi is needed.
i think it looks great.could be the deathnell for the buy to let landlords in the flower roads and burgess road. all those negative comment are obviously from the poopey brigade. at least the lifts will work.
Hopefully this will force scum landlords to sell up the city center returned to family housing.
03alpe01
says...
7:18pm Thu 28 Feb 13
A " landmark " building containing student flats! Not many other cities can boast their landmark as being a block of student flats and a doctors surgery now can they?
Welcome Tourists to Southampton, please feel free to take pictures of this magnificent block of flats, and that one, and that one and those over there...
IronLady2010
says...
7:55pm Thu 28 Feb 13
Look at Jury's Inn, that was an ugly car park a few years back, at least now it looks modern even though I can't see anyone wanting to pay to stay in the middle of a roundabout, but it does make the City look better.
I'm all for as many improvements as possible, those who don't like it can suffer the ugliness that surrounds Southampton.
Keep on improving our City!
03alpe01
says...
9:24pm Thu 28 Feb 13
IronLady2010
says...
9:29pm Thu 28 Feb 13
03alpe01 wrote:Isn't a Landmark something you give to people for directions? As in, come off at Junction 5 head for that big building and take a left. It doesn't necessarily mean head for the biggest thing in Europe.
We're all for improvements within the city, but calling a block of student flats a landmark is a bit extreme in my opinion
It's what it says, a Mark on the land that stands out?
03alpe01
says...
9:34pm Thu 28 Feb 13
Richard IV
says...
9:38pm Thu 28 Feb 13
IronLady2010
says...
9:51pm Thu 28 Feb 13
03alpe01 wrote:Would you rather we just leave it as it is?
technically yes, but a landmark should be something of great design and or historical significance. sat navs are quite common now for directions
Southampton has loads to offer and we are simply scratching the surface right now. We are a City with a proud University which encourages people from outside to visit us and even live here short term.
Embrace modernisation and encourage improvements, rather than moan about everything that is changing.
03alpe01
says...
11:15pm Thu 28 Feb 13
IronLady2010
says...
11:31pm Thu 28 Feb 13
03alpe01 wrote:There is no point in talking to you.If you can't appreciate the Historic Southampton and all it offers you on a plate, me nor anyone else will convince you otherwise.
Southampton has loads to offer? such as? The current "improvements" to this city include sticking a record breaking fourth cinema into Watermark WestQuay and a whole lot of shops and more restaurants and turning the Bargate Centre into more shops, even though the current state of the Bargate Centre is run down and the current high street crisis. Yes the Unis attract mainly foreign students, but the leisure facilities here are absolutely dire and any decent improvements to them would be welcomed with open arms
Yet people from overseas flock here and have an interest that you blatently miss!
03alpe01
says...
11:37pm Thu 28 Feb 13
If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine with me, I just have different views than you over this
IronLady2010
says...
12:21am Fri 1 Mar 13
03alpe01 wrote:Southampton is a City where people come and go, it's mainly a Port with so so much History. If people come and go that is a good thing, so long as we give them incentives to encourage others to come and visit.
I appreciate the cities history, the Titanic, the Spitfire are all very important parts of British history and indeed Southampton's history. And I actually hope the Spitfire monument gets built. However, whilst I appreciate these things wont give the younger generation something to do leisurewise. People from overseas will mainly come over here, get a uni degree then bugger off again.
If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine with me, I just have different views than you over this
Donald2000
says...
10:22am Fri 1 Mar 13
IronLady2010 wrote:Maybe you should be reflecting on whether someone who drives a 15 tonne container lorry backwards into the window of an age old jewellers is actually improving the city.Some of the behaviour coming out of the Northam Estate yesterday needed to be seen to be believed. A city is not built on student residences and doctors surgeries but on the behaviour and kindness of its people. From where I am standing yesterday was like a lunatic asyum. People need to start thinking about whether this is the next place for rioting and looting, rather than concentrating on silly building projects.
You can't please everyone, but it will look better than it does now. A more modern entrance to the City Centre.
Look at Jury's Inn, that was an ugly car park a few years back, at least now it looks modern even though I can't see anyone wanting to pay to stay in the middle of a roundabout, but it does make the City look better.
I'm all for as many improvements as possible, those who don't like it can suffer the ugliness that surrounds Southampton.
Keep on improving our City!
Donald2000
says...
10:28am Fri 1 Mar 13
cliffwalker
says...
5:09pm Fri 1 Mar 13
IronLady2010
says...
5:36pm Fri 1 Mar 13
cliffwalker wrote:I'm likely wrong, but I was under the impression new builds had to have ample parking spaces for residents? Maybe the ruke (if I'm correct) doesn't apply to student properties?
Who thinks that 32 parking spaces is anywhere near enough for a building with 364 residents a community medical centre, a pharmacy and 4 shops? Even if the students are forbidden to keep motor vehicles, parking seems inadequate for the number of people wanting to park there - workers, patients and shoppers.
arthur dalyrimple says...
7:41am Thu 28 Feb 13