Gosport Tourist Information Office closes as demolition looms for old bus station

The News, Portsmouth

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00:00I'm Mike Critchley, I'm a Gosport chap and I've been running the tourist information

00:12office here in Gosport for the last 16 months.

00:15And you recently found out from the council that it was closing?

00:18We have had a warning that it was on the cards, in fact we've had three extensions of our

00:25original lease, so it's been coming for quite a long time.

00:29So we certainly can't complain that it's a surprise.

00:32But still sad to see it go, how are the feelings now?

00:37Extremely sad to see it go, it's been an eye-opener for me.

00:40My background is I'm an ex-naval officer, harbour master and all that stuff.

00:45But I'm back home and this is Gosport's front door, so people come from the marinas and

00:51people come across the ferry and as from today there will be no one to greet them

00:56and give them tourist advice.

00:59For what is a pretty historic town there's a lot to offer in Gosport.

01:04It's all going online but there's people over 60 who don't want to go online, they've got

01:09their grandchildren in tow and they want to be advised where to go, even in winter.

01:14I mean last week you wouldn't believe the foreigners we had here in Gosport.

01:18So that's what we've been doing.

01:20So as from today it's all going to be online.

01:23So do you get quite a bit of footfall coming here?

01:26Yes we get it between 35, 40, 45 people a day.

01:31That's quite a lot, so it's definitely something that's needed then?

01:34Absolutely, it's free for the council, we pay them rent, not a lot, they've been very

01:40generous and all our staff including myself are volunteers.

01:49One of the reasons they've given you notice is that it would appear the plans are to knock

01:53this down and turn it into a park, what's your thoughts on that?

01:57They've been talking about it for 26 years so as various governments come and go the

02:02plans have changed but there is a serious proposal, yes, to knock it down and make it

02:07into a park.

02:08As you can see we've got lots of lovely trees round about us.

02:12People do use it as a park, in the summer we have lots of mums and kids picnicking and

02:18having fun here, good idea to have a park, but our mission if that's the right expression

02:25is the housing crisis that we have in Gosport and here on the top floor here we have lots

02:32of space that could be flat very quickly, the structural engineers and the architects

02:39tell us it's a good strong building, it's just scruffy, so with some TLC this top floor

02:46and possibly floors on top could help to provide some answers for Gosport's accommodation

02:53problems.

02:54This is a world class view out of Portsmouth Harbour here and my vision for the area which

02:59people still talk about was to make this into a top quality venue for special events, catering,

03:09looking down the harbour with accommodation on top.

03:12I'd move in tomorrow given the opportunity, it's just a very good site, but money's short

03:19and the council are determined, or some of the councillors are determined to knock it

03:23down and make a cheap park here.

03:26The bus station is moving any day now, so this is all going to be empty space.

03:33And anecdotally people coming into the tourist office, you kind of speak to them about what

03:38their thoughts are on the issue and what they want to be done with it?

03:42Yeah, some of them are very angry that it's coming down, it's a huge waste of money just

03:47to knock it down and a waste of carbon and all that sort of thing.

03:53But the council have given themselves planning permission to knock it down so is there any

03:57hope?

03:58I'm not sure, it's a David and Goliath situation we'll see.

04:03The good thing about the council here in Gosport is they do listen to people and they do change

04:08their minds.

04:09There was a car parking issue here, they listened and they've changed the system, so we're hoping

04:15that they'll listen to what the public tell us and change their minds and leave this building

04:20up.

04:21It's structurally fine, scruffy because it hasn't been looked at for a year or two, but

04:29still here and ready for some TLC really.

04:32But we're ready, we've packed the boxes up and we'll set up a tourist information office

04:37wherever they want it.

04:38Ideally here at Gosport's front door.

04:42So the plan is then to go somewhere else to still have a physical front for the tourist

04:47information?

04:48I don't have that plan, if the council agree, over here by the new bus station is an ideal

04:55place.

04:56People come off yachts, people come across the ferry, they haven't a clue, half the yachtsmen

05:01haven't got a clue where they are, they haven't got a car, so they look for advice all the

05:05time.

05:06I'm very happy to give that.

05:08Our problem is that our lease has ended quicker than we thought, and we thought we were here

05:17till the new year, that hasn't happened, but in the interval I've gone out and hired a

05:21train to take the people of Gosport to London for the day, for a half term.

05:27So I've got a train, I've got a crew, but I haven't really got anywhere to sell the

05:33tickets, so we're looking to the post office for that.

05:36So people were interested in joining, so to go to the local Gosport post office?

05:41Any post office around here, this side of the harbour, yes.

05:45That'll be good.

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