An important milestone has been reached that will bring forward the delivery of 175 social rent council homes in central Portsmouth.
Portsmouth City Council will be starting the process to secure a contractor to build the first phase of the Somers Orchard development in Somerstown, which will comprise of three buildings made up of four, 10, and 18 storeys (highlighted in the image above). Work is expected to start on site in summer 2027 and will be complete in early 2030.
The new homes, built on the Leamington House site, part of the former Horatia and Leamington tower blocks, will all be rented out to households registered on the housing register, and owned and managed by Portsmouth Homes, the council’s landlord function.
The homes will achieve the government’s Decent Homes Standard and be designed to be as energy efficient as possible. The plans also include two commercial units, communal gardens and a publicly accessible changing places toilet. The community garden that is currently on site will not be affected by this phase of works.
The council’s partners at Homes England and MHCLG have expressed strong support for the scheme and will work with the council to provide essential grant funding for this and the future phases of the project.
The information report will be presented at a meeting of Cabinet on Tuesday 3 March, 2026.
The development has been designed with support from residents via an established community panel. Their contribution has been at the heart of this scheme and will continue into this next phase.
Speaking about the plans, Cllr Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness, said: “At long last, we can start delivering on the hopes and dreams of local people. There are so few schemes across Hampshire that can deliver homes people can afford and I am delighted that – finally – we can start work here.”
As previously reported plans to transform this area of Somerstown to make it more community focused and create new housing were given the go-ahead by the council in August 2024.
Find out more about the development opportunities available at Somers Orchard.