Plan for 88 flats in Southampton City Centre scrapped

The city council is no longer studying plans to redevelop a site occupied by Friary House, a four-storey complex built in Briton Street in the 1980s.

It is not known if the applicant, Telereal General Property GP Ltd, has scrapped the project or is planning to submit a revised scheme.

Proposals to convert Friary House into 46 homes were approved by the council in 2021 but the scheme was never implemented.

A CGI of the proposed development at Friary House in Briton Street, Southampton (Image: Architecture Initiative)

The following year the authority received an application for an eight-storey apartment block on the site, part of the Old Town South Conservation Area.

The Old Town Community Forum lodged an objection, claiming the proposed development was too tall, too dense, and would "overwhelm" the medieval town walls.

It added: "This proposal is just another block-like tower. The design is mundane and uninspiring and has no obvious link to the history of the old town."

READ MORE: Bid to replace Friary House with eight-storey block of flats

Historic England stopped short of opposing the scheme but raised concerns about its potential impact on the ancient walls, which it described as some of the best-preserved in the country.

The current building on the site (Image: Architecture Initiative)

A design and access statement that formed part of the application said Friary House was "utilitarian" in character and had a poor relationship with its surroundings.

It also claimed the building had a detrimental impact on the setting of the town walls.

READ MORE: Plan to turn city centre office block into 45 flats

Referring to the earlier proposal to convert Friary House the statement said the extra storeys required to make the scheme viable would exceed the limitations of the foundations.

Talks with the council had resulted in the "retain and refurbish" approach being ditched in favour of a purpose-built block that met modern standards.

"The recent pandemic provoked a change in the way people work," added the statement.

"Effectively, working from home has become part of normal life and people, in general, have embraced the benefits and work-life balance this provides.

"However, not all homes are suited to accommodate this new way of working and it is the responsibility of architects and developers to provide and design spaces which are appropriate and respond to the working-from-home arrangement.

"The proposed building incorporates two areas which aim to provide a space for residents to work from home."

The council's website lists the application as "withdrawn" but gives no further details. Telereal General Property has been approached for comment.