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A series of car showrooms and one of the oldest motorbike shops in Portsmouth were voted the top buildings in the Portsmouth Society's annual design awards for 1999. Portsmouth Motor Park on the Eastern Road won the Best New Building category and the restoration of the former motorbike shop, Burnetts, in St James's Road, Southsea, jointly took the Best Restoration award with Storehouse No 11 in the naval base.
Best New Building
The judges had little difficulty in making the award for the motor park comprising five striking showrooms and workshops on the site of the former Portsmouth airport. The complex gives a welcome new feeling of excitement to this approach to the city. Architects David Kent of Bath had prepared the overall outline of the park and designed one of the buildings - Mitsubishi's.
Restorations
Southsea builders Steve Langton and Simon Smith bought the derelict Burnetts in St James's Road last year and, using part of the original mid-Victorian facade converted it into two elegant houses. Their conversion enhances the Kings Street conservation area.
No 11 Storehouse in the naval base has been restored and converted for use by the Royal Naval Museum. We particularly liked the two new galleries and a new glass and steel lift through the middle of the building.
Ottakers Bookstore in Commercial Road was commended in the restoration category for its use of light and space as was the University's 13 storey Barnard Tower at Milton which has been refurbished inside and out
Landscaping Awards
The award for Best Landscaping went to the huge mural map of Portsmouth painted onto the gable end of the of Barclays Bank building in The Strand, Southsea. It was developed with community help and initiated by Mark Lewes and colleagues of the Art and Soul Traders and won sponsorship from the Arts Council. It was an inspirational idea to incorporate below the large professional work an adaptable strip painted by children - a flower garden - thus giving the children the feel of it being their mural and helping to protect it from vandalism.
Commended in this category were Royal Marines Memorial garden in front of the museum at Eastney and the landscaping in and behind Queen Street, Portsea around three blocks of Council flats.
The Down Side
In spite of these excellent exceptions the judges could not but be depressed by the low standard of the most of the schemes they visited. Among these were April Square, the big inner-city redevelopment - demolition and replacement of 1050s 4 storey blocks north of Arundel Street. They were disappointed with the landscaping of Wymering Community Centre which lacked coherence although the new building was not disliked.
The private sector have done, if anything, worse with the Whitbread's Travel Lodge and pub at Clarence Pier, occupying one of the finest sites in the country and yet not giving views of the sea! Mock Tudor end walls and the ugly ground floor car park, glaringly visible at night, all seem to be part of a standard plan drawn up in a remote office for just anywhere "an insult to Portsmouth particularly when we know that in Plymouth the same company have built an attractive modern pub designed to enhance its waterside location."
Background
Judging for the Design Competition takes place each September where our panel of judges decide which is the best new building, best restored building and best landscaping scheme completed in the City during the previous year.
Winner
Portsmouth Motor Park
Restoration
Winners
Former motorbike shop, St Jame's Road, Southsea
Storehouse No 11, Historic Dockyard
Commended
Ottakers Bookstore, Commercial Road
Landscaping
Winner
Mural at The Strand, Southsea
Commended
Royal Marines Memorial Garden, Eastney
Landcaping in Queen Street, Portsea