Town Quay, Southampton
Site, History, Context & Why Develop
It's likely that Town Quay only developed after the construction of the south town wall in the mid 14th Century. The Town Quay was the town's southernmost quay, situated opposite the 'Water Gate'; it was then referred to as Watergate Quay.
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Watergate Quay grew in stages until the 19th century by which time it comprised a pier-like promontory opposite the end of the High Street and extended to God’s House Tower to the east and the pier and yacht club to the west. In 1847 Town Quay was connected by a tramway to the Terminus Station.
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Town Quay played an important role during the Second World War and from mid-May 1944, the port was closed to prepare as marshalling areas for the D-Day invasion and Town Quay had three separate embarkation points for the troops boarding the landing craft.
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Use of the rail lines ceased by 1970, although the lines remained in situ for much longer. All of the warehouses on the quay were subsequently demolished, as part of the redevelopment of Town Quay during the late 1980s. This development saw the construction of new office buildings, the Red Funnel ferry terminals, as well as retail outlets and restaurants. A marina was constructed on the east side of the pier, inshore of the high-speed ferry pontoons.
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Town Quay currently comprises of office accommodation, a private marina and car parking. The Red Funnel Red Jet and the Hythe Ferry both sail from the quay.
Town Quay is not the destination it should be - the area has struggled in recent years and there is little activity to keep the area vibrant. The quality of food and drink uses has reduced further and the existing leisure opportunities and pedestrian facilities are of poor quality.
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The marina is private, with no public waterfront access and beyond the roundabout, the land including the carpark is actually legally private property. Currently, there is no public realm, virtually all the buildings on Town Quay are closed off to the public. The car-park end of the structure is only estimated to have up to 20 years lifespan left.
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Southampton is also required to deliver 26,500 new homes in the city between 2022-2040, as stated in their emerging Local Plan.
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We also hope that a redeveloped Town Quay will act as a catalyst to prompt further investment in key local sites in the area.
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A site which should be the jewel in the crown and a world-class waterfront destination for Southampton is currently a closed site.