Work on the Bargate Quarter scheme has resumed after the site’s main contractor went into administration.

Construction began on the £132m scheme in February 2022 with hundreds of homes set to transform Southampton city centre.

The project comprises 519 new homes – a mix of studios, one, two, and three-bedroom units – as well as 2,515 square metres of ground floor commercial space.

There was shock when work ground to a halt on the construction site in June 2023 after Henry Construction Projects filed for administration.

But now, eight months on from when work was last carried out on the site, cranes were seen moving paving slabs and stone opposite the former Debenhams retail store.

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A source confirmed to the Echo that workmen had entered the site to tidy the area before development resumed in the near future.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton said he understands work is due to start properly in May.

He said: "If this is the case and that planned work should start in May, I think it’s tremendous news. The site has been left there for so long.

"It’s a site that needs developing which will provide housing and jobs in the city centre and will be a catalyst for greater investment for Southampton.

"The council should be doing everything it can to support this scheme and should be as proactive as possible to progress it further."

Daily Echo:

Members of the public have since reacted to the news. Shopper Antonio Gashi, 38, said: “It's been a waste of money up to this point, so I'm glad someone has come in to start up work again."

Melissa Chati, 39, added: “I wasn't really aware of what's happened, but it has been boarded up for a long time, so if it means the work will get completed that can only be a good thing."

Commenting on social media, Chris Zardis, went on to say: “Haven’t heard anything about a new contractor – really home the Bargate Quarter is back on track.”

Plans for the development of the Bargate Quarter were approved by Southampton City Council in 2021, and were initially due to finish by 2025.

As well as creating new homes in the city centre, the scheme was also meant to highlight the historic town walls.

Speaking in 2022, Cllr Jeremy Moulton said the expansion had been a ‘long time coming.’

Daily Echo:

“Eight years in the making to get a shovel in the ground, and it’s such an important site here."