Derelict Southampton Toys R Us site sold to housing developer

The Toys R Us chain collapsed in 2018

A derelict city centre Toys R Us site has been sold to a developer which specialises in high-rise apartments.

Fiera Real Estate and Packaged Living said its scheme would "meet the pressing need for new homes" in central Southampton.

It said it would also build new offices, retail space and a hotel.

Southampton City Council, which previously pledged £27m towards a new office block on the site, has been approached for comment.

Previous plans for a 70,000 sq ft office block on the site were revealed in 2019

The authority retains the freehold on the site, opposite Southampton Central railway station.

In 2019, the then Labour-run council offered financial support for developers' plans for an "iconic office building" although Conservative councillors at the time voiced scepticism over the proposals.

Current Conservative council leader Dan Fitzhenry said: "We were concerned about the funding for the office building. We won't be paying for it."

The previously announced plans also included building 275 new homes, restaurants and shops in future phases.

The site is part of the council's Mayflower Quarter, which involves a long-term redevelopment of land between Central Station and the Waterfront.

The new buyers, who have purchased the lease, did not disclose the price, although they said the five-acre (20,000-sq-m) site had a gross domestic value of £200m.

Ed Ellerington, managing director of Packaged Living, said: "Redevelopment of the site is at the heart of Southampton's wider Mayflower master plan and will create a vibrant and dynamic gateway to the city from the station."

The former Toys R Us store was built in the mid-1980s before the chain collapsed in 2018 and previously the land was the site of Southampton Power Station.