Major municipal works proposed for Portsmouth City Hall and police headquarters
Portsmouth city officers have tabled a multi‑phase £58,634,042 plan to renovate the City Hall complex and the police station, telling councillors on 13 July that the scheme is intended to improve the working environment for officers and to make better use of municipal space. The council received two conceptual renderings and an outline timetable from design consultants JSA Design of Portsmouth.
The draft plan, prepared with input from the Municipal Building Blue Ribbon Committee, separates the work into nine phases. The initial four phases concentrate on the Police Department and carry an estimated combined cost of £30,014,680. The subsequent five phases are aimed at upgrading City Hall and are costed at about £28,619,362, bringing the overall total to the headline figure.
- Estimated total cost: £58,634,042
- Police‑focused phases (1–4): £30,014,680
- City Hall phases (5–9): £28,619,362
Council papers say the project would be financed in stages over several years, with formal bidding for the first phase expected to begin in 2029. City officers described the current cost figures as very preliminary and said they would be refined over the summer.
“This is a very tough project … one of the largest projects we’ll do in the city,” the mayor said, adding the aim was to get the majority of the city behind the proposals.
Deputy City Manager Carl Weber told councillors the scope of work expanded after staff looked beyond the police building to examine the wider municipal facility. He warned that parts of the City Hall complex contain significant underused space on a typical working day and argued the redevelopment would provide opportunities to centralise services and improve accessibility.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Consultant | JSA Design (Portsmouth) |
| Project phases | 9 (first 4 police, last 5 City Hall) |
| First bidding round | Expected 2029 |
The proposals include practical building improvements identified by staff and consultants: a new sally port for the police, a centralised service point for residents and measures to enhance accessibility across the complex. City leaders stressed the scheme is at an early stage and will require wider discussion and public engagement before final decisions are made.
For Portsmouth residents the plan raises immediate local questions about delivery and disruption, funding and the future use of City Hall space. If the provisional timetable holds, detailed design work and further cost refinement will continue before construction bids are invited. Councillors will need to balance the operational needs of the police with wider civic priorities as the project proceeds through scrutiny and approvals.
Officers have indicated further information and refined estimates will be provided to the council this summer. Until then, the proposals remain a conceptual framework for what city leaders describe as a long‑term programme of municipal renewal rather than a set of firm commitments.
