Itchen Riverside
The Itchen Riverside is a mixed residential, employment and marine area. The Itchen Riverside (West) lies within or close to the city centre, although with relatively poor connections to the core area. The area includes Southampton Football Club’s stadium, and two strategic active mineral wharves. The area is at risk of flooding, and a River Itchen Flood Alleviation scheme is proposed.
The area policy sets an overall strategy to guide development sites as they emerge over the plan period (and beyond). This enables incremental change to contribute to the long-term vision of the area as a place. The area also includes 3 specific site development policies (for Chapel Riverside under construction, the Britannia Road gasworks site and Drivers Wharf).
The aim is to continue to enhance the vibrant mix of uses within the community and place, open up the waterfront, reconnect the area to the core of the city centre, ensure flood management measures can be integrated and development is safe from flood risk.
The area from Britannia Road to the south, including this stretch of waterfront, lies within the city centre (connected to the core city centre via the 'East – West Spine’ and ‘Itchen Riverside’ strategic links) and is closest to the waterside developments at Chapel Riverside and Ocean Village. It also includes the football stadium. This area is therefore key to connecting the city centre to the Itchen Riverside waterfront. The area could provide a continuous waterfront walkway from Ocean Village / Chapel Riverside northwards, and should provide a higher proportion of more vibrant city centre uses (i.e. full or partial active frontages). This area includes the two active mineral wharves, which are strategically important for supplying construction aggregates to Southampton and the wider area (and so for this Plan’s overall development strategy). These wharves are likely to remain for the plan period to 2040, unless circumstances change and they can viably be relocated. The policy sets a long term and robust strategy for the area, capable of responding to different circumstances. It supports the creation of stronger links into the existing area and football stadium, which could also link to a future waterfront if the wharves relocated in the longer term.
The area from Britannia Road to the north is outside the city centre, includes widespread general and marine industrial areas safeguarded by policies EC2 and EC3. This area of the waterfront will continue to contribute to the marine sector, an important part of the overall economy. This area also includes existing communities such as the Northam Estate, and potential new communities on new development sites. These waterfront development sites adjacent to the main road across Northam Bridge will create a gateway into the central city. These sites include Meridian, under construction, Drivers Wharf, and a possible option in policy EC2 to support the redevelopment of the Mount Pleasant industrial area adjoining the Meridian site).