£30m Redevelopment Plans For South Parade Pier

Plans have been unveiled that could see South Parade Pier in Southsea demolished and rebuilt, at a cost of up to £30 million.

A local entrepreneur's been working on proposals for a new pier in the shape of a fish. It would light up blue at night and house an art gallery inside a bubble-shaped building in the middle. It's suggested that space could also hold concerts.

The idea would be for the money to pay for it, expected to be around £30 million, to be raised by private investors.

Portsmouth City Councillor Luke Stubbs said:

"The pier's been in a poor state for a while and it's really sad now to see it closed off to such an extent. We all want to see it come back into use. It lets that whole part of Southsea down.

"It's a listed building, a protected building, so obviously we'd be quite loathe to see it go in some ways. It would have to be something really special to make it all work and that's a concern I think many people in the area would share."