City Gateway Tower plan resurrected for Swaythling (From Daily Echo)
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City Gateway Tower plan resurrected for Swaythling
7:36am Tuesday 9th March 2010 in
More stories about: Swaythling
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- By Matt Smith » Politics and business reporter
DEVELOPERS are to go before Southampton planners for a third time to resurrect plans for a landmark tower dubbed the “City Gateway”.
Health firm Care Capital has turned to a French construction giant Bouygues to bail out its stalled plans for the medical centre and apartment block in Swaythling.
The flagship project is already two years behind schedule after Bellway Homes pulled out of an earlier scheme then a deal with Swaythling Housing Association failed to stack up on a second set of plans.
Southampton City Council claimed the development at the junction of Stoneham Way and Thomas Lewis Way would “transform the area”.
Care Capital operations director Rick Hayes said the housing market crash and credit crunch had made it difficult to find the funding to start to project, worth up to £15m.
But now Bouygues has stepped in to provide upfront funding to get construction under way by the end of the year, through its Portsmouth based subsidiary Warings.
Revised plans will go before Southampton City Council in coming months, Mr Hayes said.
He added that the concept of the block of flats up to 13-storeys high, anchored by a state-of-the-art medical centre for the Stoneham Lane GP Surgery would be retained in a “good quality landmark building.”
The flats will be partly for sale on the open market with other available as more affordable homes.
A pharmacy and Co-op store are also planned, along with an NHS clinic and dental practice.
Mr Hayes said the issue of parking had yet to be resolved but could include underground lots.
Residents are concerned at the loss of youth facilities on the Parkville Road site.
Mr Hayes insisted they would be replaced.
Comments(21)
s.toney79
says...
8:58am Tue 9 Mar 10
2 years behind schedule this development. I was just saying to my partner this morning over tea and toast that what Southampton is missing is flats.
I mean, any body would have thought that there was a lack of interest in high rise living, but it is clearly just the developers refusing to sell all of those city centre appartments for years on end.
A new block of flats is bound to encourage people to buy all of the existing empty flats in town.
Obviously...
v_dubman2005
says...
9:01am Tue 9 Mar 10
DCM
says...
9:09am Tue 9 Mar 10
mooky9
says...
9:26am Tue 9 Mar 10
goard
says...
10:17am Tue 9 Mar 10
goard
Redback
says...
10:43am Tue 9 Mar 10
v_dubman2005
says...
10:50am Tue 9 Mar 10
Redback wrote:Shall I take it that you would like me to put your name on the waiting list? lol
Yey for flats! Flats are great, especially for families with young children. Children don't need to go outside, just leave them in front of the telly/playstation! Yey! More flats please!
s-word = wall-fall. Is it a prematition?
shilo
says...
11:38am Tue 9 Mar 10
Redback
says...
12:02pm Tue 9 Mar 10
v_dubman2005 wrote:No - having thought about it some more, I've realised how desirable empty flats make our city look. I wouldn't want to reduce southampton's prestige by filling one up.
Redback wrote:Shall I take it that you would like me to put your name on the waiting list? lol
Yey for flats! Flats are great, especially for families with young children. Children don't need to go outside, just leave them in front of the telly/playstation! Yey! More flats please!
s-word = wall-fall. Is it a prematition?
v_dubman2005
says...
12:05pm Tue 9 Mar 10
shilo wrote:Its called irony.
More flats in Southampton, are some of you nuts!
s-word = head-team. How apt lol.
Family Man
says...
12:23pm Tue 9 Mar 10
We should be applauding the city council's foresight! My only question is whether it should be taller to give better coverage??
wilson castaway
says...
3:57pm Tue 9 Mar 10
..aeroplanes..sounds great.
Ian24
says...
6:11pm Tue 9 Mar 10
How are they going to sell these flats next to an estate on a flight path wedged between busy roads and next to a railway.
I just cannot understand how any construction company would want to even consider spending money here in the first place!!!
v_dubman2005
says...
6:16pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Ian24 wrote:Because its not their money
This has missed the flat boom . Who in their right mind would buy a flat here when the neighbours are getting their flat for free?
How are they going to sell these flats next to an estate on a flight path wedged between busy roads and next to a railway.
I just cannot understand how any construction company would want to even consider spending money here in the first place!!!
IanRRR
says...
6:43pm Tue 9 Mar 10
warness
says...
6:56pm Tue 9 Mar 10
IanRRR wrote:Sorry Ian
If Paramjit comes on tonight, to lambast the council over this, I am with him!!! Every reason to complete this project, is WRONG. Unless that is, after building, it is used to push over, to flatten the flower roads (once all the residents have been safely evacuated, of course.) Nothing against the people, just the area!
Faramjit and I are at a convention this week, and I have control of the laptop.
Coincidentally, we are on a (taxpayer sponsored) course which is looking at possible ways that housing costs can be brought down, by following examples from some prominent EEC countries.
One good example is Denmark, where a clever mix of capitalist builders and socially cramped (but adequate) flatlets ensure that everyone wins.
We will post some pro-capitalist messages on our return
Uncle Chuffnuts
says...
8:27pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Redback
says...
9:10pm Tue 9 Mar 10
My View from the Hill
says...
11:26pm Tue 9 Mar 10
IanRRR wrote:Why evacuate the Flowers Estate, would sort out lots of problem.
If Paramjit comes on tonight, to lambast the council over this, I am with him!!! Every reason to complete this project, is WRONG. Unless that is, after building, it is used to push over, to flatten the flower roads (once all the residents have been safely evacuated, of course.) Nothing against the people, just the area!
Build another tower block, great fantastic, excellent, what foresight, I bet it took the brains of *issed rat that thought this one, if it stand empty fill it up with uni students, they are never in to worry about the noise from the planes, cars, and the Flowers estate
mollie
says...
9:05pm Wed 10 Mar 10
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REVISED: The proposed apartment tower and medical centre, dubbed the City Gateway project, at the Parkville car park in Swaythling.
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Ozmosis says...
7:44am Tue 9 Mar 10