Hotel scrapped from Southampton's medieval walls revamp

Plans for a hotel at a redevelopment in Southampton have been dropped following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 240-bedroom hotel was added to the scheme in the Bargate Quarter instead of student accommodation.

The number of flats has gone up from 287 to 500 - the shopping area planned has been scaled back to about a third.

Developer, Tellon Capital, said the changes had been made because "the way people live, work, shop, and socialise has altered radically".

Previous plans featured 185 units of student accommodation.

A consultation on the proposals is being held online until 2 November after which Tellon said it intended to submit a full planning application.

Buildings, including those along Queensway and East Street, have already been demolished ahead of work starting on the redevelopment.

Southampton's town walls

The oldest sections, Bargate and Eastgate, date from 1180 - alterations were made in about 1290
They were extended following the devastating French raid of 1338. Edward III ordered that walls be built to "close the town", with the western walls completed in 1380
The walls - including eight gates and 29 towers - stretched for one and a quarter miles, with the Bargate as the entrance to the medieval town
In the late 19th Century an idea to demolish the Bargate as an impediment to traffic was defeated following a public campaign. But in the 1930s the adjoining walls were removed to allow traffic to flow on either side
Roughly half of the walls, 13 of the original towers and six gates are standing, making them some of the most complete medieval town walls in the country