Major plans to overhaul a former power station site in Hampshire in favour of hundreds of new homes have been scrapped by the development company after the current scheme was deemed ‘unviable’.
Fawley Waterside Limited confirmed it has formally withdrawn two outline planning applications for the redevelopment of the former Fawley Power Station site, between the villages of Fawley and Calshot.
The developer bought the 300-acre coastal site from RWE npower in 2015, and in May 2019 submitted requests to build a £2.3 billion ‘smart town’ there, comprising 1,500 new homes.
New Forest District Council (NFDC) and New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) approved the scheme a year later, subject to a Section 106 Agreement and other conditions, which Fawley Waterside said would support more than 2,000 jobs.
All former buildings and structures, including the oil-fired power station’s 198-metre (650 ft) chimney, were completely torn down last year in preparation for the development, which would have included around 100,000 sqm of commercial, civic and employment space.
Following “multiple assessments”, however, the current proposed masterplan, designed by architect Léon Krier and masterplanner Ben Pentreath and dubbed the ‘Venice of Britain’, was pulled after Fawley Waterside said it was “not viable”.
The news comes after landowner Aldred Drummond, who set up Fawley Waterside and initiated the project in 2017, resigned as the estate’s director in October last year – at which point the plans were put under review.
The developer said the decision to withdraw had “not been taken lightly”, adding a new future for the site will now need to be worked up.
In the immediate term Fawley Waterside will continue to manage several short-term commercial tenancies.
A Fawley Waterside spokesperson said: “Fawley Waterside can confirm both outline planning applications for redevelopment of the former Fawley Power Station site have […] been formally withdrawn.
“As a result, the current proposed masterplan will not be developed, and instead a new future for the site will need to be determined.
“The decision to withdraw the applications has not been taken lightly but multiple assessments of the current scheme have shown that it is not viable.
“Fawley Waterside will continue working closely and collaboratively with both New Forest District Council and The New Forest National Park Authority to consider the most appropriate development strategy for the site.”
Council leader, councillor Jill Cleary, said: “The council had been waiting for the signature of the applicant on the legal agreements for over a year, while the viability of the proposed vision for the site from Fawley Waterside Limited evidently became more at risk. As leader of the council, I am pleased that there is now clarity as to the state of play.
“We look forward to working with Fawley Waterside, and their newly appointed team, to consider viable alternative development options for the site, that help us deliver on our Corporate Plan aspirations for People, for Place, and for Prosperity.”
Fawley was built by Mitchell Construction architect Colin Morse for the Central Electricity Generating Board between 1965 and 1969.
It was commissioned in 1971 as a 2,000-megawatt (MW) power station, with four 500 MW generating units.
On 18 September 2012, RWE npower announced it would be shutting down Fawley power station by the end of March 2013, due to the EU Large Combustion Plant Directive.
The power station was duly shut on 31 March 2013 after more than 40 years in operation.
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