Townhill Park flats to be demolished after years of delays

Southampton City Council has announced the demolition of two sites in Townhill Park to build 220 new homes.

This forms part of a long-awaited development which will include more than 600 new council homes.

But the timescale of the scheme has come under fire by MP Royston Smith who said residents "have been abandoned for over a decade".

The city council says the demolition, scheduled for next year, comes after it secured government funding of £1.08m.

Years of delays

Mr Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, was leader of the council in 2011 when the redevelopment began.

At the time, residents were moved out from their homes so demolition could begin.

Work was expected to be completed in spring 2019 but the plans have been consistently hampered.

Only 56 homes out of the proposed 665 were completed in April of that year. 

Last September the council cut the regeneration project's budget from £144million to £60.5million following budget cuts made earlier in the year by the Conservative administration. 

Mr Smith previously voiced his concerns about the delays in the development, and described the recent delay as "shameful".

He said: "The redevelopment started in 2011. The tenants were moved out and many of the buildings demolished.

“In the last 12 years of a Labour council in Southampton they have done next to nothing.

“They have now claimed to government that Townhill Park is a brownfield site in order to qualify for yet another government grant.

“Perhaps the requirements of receiving the grant will finally make them pull their finger out.

“There are thousands of families looking for somewhere to live but Labour have abandoned Townhill Park for over a decade. It's shameful.”

What will be demolished?

The work will see the demolition of the two blocks adjacent to Benhams Road and the three blocks at Rowlands Walk thanks to a £1.08m grant from the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

The blocks are empty and the buildings secured.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, deputy leader of the council, said: “As a council, we’re committed to building good quality, affordable housing that our residents can benefit from.

“This is why I am delighted that we have been awarded this funding from the Brownfield Land Release Fund to support us with taking down unused sites at Townhill Park to make way for new homes to be built.

“Receiving this funding means that we can regenerate sites at Townhill Park faster which in turn will help to accelerate the delivery of at least 8,000 affordable homes by 2040.”

It is anticipated that the council will have contracts in place and for the demolition itself to start in late spring 2024.

Residents and schools will be contacted about the latest developments.