Portsmouth City Council

The committee considered several planning applications, with most of the discussion focused on HMO intensification and the legal/planning status of extensions and room additions. A separate leisure-use application for paddle tennis at Canoe Lake was approved after debate on noise, lighting, ecology and security. Members repeatedly debated whether some schemes genuinely required planning permission or were already lawful under permitted development, and whether policy, amenity and cumulative HMO impacts justified refusal. The meeting also included an update on a recent HMO appeal that was allowed, underscoring the council’s difficulty defending refusals without robust evidence of harm.

The committee approved an updated carers’ fees and allowance policy for 2026/27 to improve foster carer recruitment and retention, including a new therapeutic fostering level and revised Mockingbird hub payments. It also agreed to open a new inclusion centre at St George’s Beneficial Church of England Primary School in September 2026 in response to rising SEND demand. Finally, it adopted the revised locally agreed religious education syllabus, Living Difference 4, for use across Portsmouth schools.

The committee considered several planning applications, with the most contentious being the Osborne Road/Queen’s Hotel redevelopment, which officers recommended for refusal on heritage, design, access and highways grounds. Members also approved the Omega Centre conversion to a special educational needs school, and two HMO schemes on Marmion Road and Alexandra Road, while granting a loft extension at Lawrence Road. The meeting highlighted recurring issues around heritage impact, parking, access, biodiversity net gain, and the practical standards for smaller urban residential schemes.

The Portsmouth Annual Council Meeting focused on governance changes and committee/board appointments for 2026-27. Key actions include electing a new city council leader (Councillor Steve Pitt), reaffirming cabinet roles, appointing Health and Wellbeing Board representation, and allocating committee seats via a proportional slate. Several items reference future governance context (potential abolition of the council) and formalised meeting dates. No direct procurement contracts or spend were discussed, but the decisions establish the governance framework that shapes future procurement oversight and commissioning activity.

Portsmouth Licensing Sub Committee granted the variation of a premises licence for Restaurant 27/27A South Parade to operate a small convenience store with off-sale alcohol, extending hours to 07:00–23:00 daily. The decision followed assurances with police, with agreed conditions (notices, till prompts, CCTV, refusals and incident logs, age verification, staff training) and alcohol kept in a locked cabinet. No representations were received from responsible authorities. The committee relied on statutory guidance that shops should normally be free to sell alcohol off the premises during opening hours unless licensing objectives require otherwise, and noted residents’ concerns about ASB, litter, noise, and saturation but concluded the decision should be made under licensing objectives. Rights to review and appeal were highlighted. Key action items include implementing the stated conditions and monitoring for any breach of licensing objectives.

The committee mainly dealt with planning approvals, but several financial and policy points were relevant to future delivery and spending. It approved the Southsea Skatepark scheme, which includes an enclosed all-weather facility with café, toilets and education space, while members noted the project’s CIL burden. It also debated the Moneyfields condition on overnight parking, with the applicant estimating the parking scheme would cost about £200,000. A further update explained a new central government direction requiring refusals of 150+ dwelling schemes to be referred to the Secretary of State.