Southsea Knight & Lee store: Revised plans approved

The initial plans for the site were approved in 2019

New plans to redevelop a former John Lewis store have been given the green light.

A new restaurant and bar as well as 24 extra hotel rooms will be built at the old Knight & Lee department store in Southsea.

The proposals were put forward by developer THAT Group and have been approved by Portsmouth City Council.

The plans are in addition to the previous ones for a 43-bedroom hotel, cinema, bar and gymnasium at the site.

The department store closed in July 2019 after trading for more than 150 years.

In a meeting, held on Wednesday morning, developers told councillors the proposals represented "a fantastic mix of use".

The initial scheme was approved in 2019.

But the revised plans were put forward in March in response to changing "economic requirements" and English Heritage's decision to give the building Grade II-listed status.

Local councillor Graham Heaney previously welcomed the new plans saying the redevelopment of the site would bring people into the area.