8:10am Sunday 21st June 2009
By Keith Hamilton
THIS is the Southampton that never was; a grandiose scheme designed to transform the city but destined to sink without trace in the muddy waters off Mayflower Park.
The scheme promised to inject new life into the city, which would become a major tourist destination with thousands of visitors attracted by Southampton’s brave new look.
Unfortunately the developer’s dream was destined never to become a reality and today all that remains of this ambitious masterplan is an old set of architect’s drawings.
Over the decades many plans, claiming to be the solution to Southampton’s longrunning problem of how best to use the waterfront and surrounding area, have been launched in a blaze of publicity and optimism but up to now none have ever materialised.
One particular idea even proposed that a restaurant in the shape of a Mississippi-style paddle steamer should be installed close to Mayflower Park.
Needless to say this idea did not even make it off the drawing-board.
For one reason or another these schemes were all abandoned; victims of rising costs, lack of investment as well as the city’s changing requirements.
The latest vision for the city in 2009 is Watermark WestQuay, a development that aims to link the waterfront with the old walls as well as providing new facilities for people to enjoy as they look out across Southampton Water.
However, back in February 1987, another team of developers were trying to persuade the city council to give the green light to, what was then, the latest proposal that would completely revamp Mayflower Park and the remains of the Royal Pier.
The blueprint called for the building of a landmark, four-star hotel with 156 rooms, the construction of an exhibition, conference, and business centres, a shopping complex on the pier to bring tourists to Southampton, and leisure attractions including a nightclub, to be called, the South Pacific Disco.
Mayflower Park was to have been extended by reclaiming an extra acre of land from the sea, which was needed for the development of new walkways and a public promenade complete with covered seating areas.
The total renovation of the Royal Pier would herald the arrival of a major casino on the structure while a “pleasure’’ pavilion would become the venue for dances, bandstand concerts, deck-games and even feature a dedicated area for a permanent Punch and Judy show.
According to documents submitted to the Civic Centre the new eight-storey hotel, described as being built on “a modern internal atrium principle’’ would have a swimming pool, cocktail lounge, sauna and gymnastics centre.
The Mississippi paddle steamer was planned as the central feature of the land surrounding the hotel.
Developers also had their eye on the warehouse at 101 berth in the Western Docks, which they wanted to transform into the Southampton Business Exhibition Centre with three separate halls.
This would have been the biggest venue of its kind on the South Coast and besides staging trade shows, the centre could be used for sports such as badminton, volleyball, bowls, gymnastics and indoor cricket.
The planning application said: “A 1930s style lounge and foyer areas would convert with ease to an exciting and unique disco providing a new nightlife facility in an area where noise should provide no problems with the public.’’ An extra 1,140 car parking spaces would also be developed to cope with the expected crowds of visitors who would be attracted to the area by the new facilities.
Detailed plans were submitted, together with artist’s impressions of the different buildings but now more than two decades later the Royal Pier remains a tangled and unsightly collection of iron girders and burnt-out timbers while Mayflower Park, with the exception of a new children’s playground, is unchanged.
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