{"id":611691,"date":"2026-05-30T07:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T07:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/611691\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T07:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T07:41:16","slug":"the-isolated-uk-seaside-town-everyone-is-leaving-businesses-closing-down-in-droves-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/611691\/","title":{"rendered":"The isolated UK seaside town ‘everyone is leaving’ – businesses closing down in droves | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gosport<\/p>\n

Gosport town centre in Hampshire (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

Sitting on a bench waiting for her retail shift, 22-year-old Emily Voller jokes about staying in Gosport long term. \u201cI hope not,\u201d she smiles. Her town in Hampshire was forecast to have the largest population decline of any local authority in England from 2025 to 2035, with its 80,000 people set to reduce by 2.1%, the Office for National Statistics<\/a> predicted.<\/p>\n

The reason is quite clear, according to residents. Once heavily reliant on the Royal Navy<\/a> and industrial jobs, some of the town\u2019s major employers have declined or disappeared, leaving little choice for younger residents. Nicky Brown, 67, says there is huge potential, with \u201camazing\u201d architecture and beaches, but she sees the struggles for young adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they tend to leave, there\u2019s not many jobs actually in Gosport,\u201d she tells the Express as we chat on the high street, where she points out that major retail chains and banks have now left.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: UK seaside town vintage clothing shop closing for good \u2013 only open 10 months <\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: The UK seaside town that\u2019s \u20181 of Britain\u2019s gloomiest and most depressing places\u2019 <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Nicky<\/p>\n

Nicky Brown loves Gosport but thinks the high street has declined (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

\"Gosport<\/p>\n

Gosport high street has lost several major chains and banks (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

Latest statistics show 82.3% of working-age residents in Gosport were employed, but residents say most people search for work in places like Fareham, with Gosport mainly offering retail or hospitality opportunities.<\/p>\n

Nicky says the town can feel isolated. Gosport is the largest town in England without a railway station<\/a>, while the road in and out is often gridlocked with traffic, though locals often get the four-minute ferry across from Southsea, Portsmouth. \u201cIt\u2019s a bummer of a place to get to, you have to pick your times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emily recalls the town differently when she was a child, with more family-friendly activities, a bustling high street and a sense of community. Now, she sees teens hanging around at the end of the high street while she’s at work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the only place they can go and it\u2019s slightly antisocial because they are blaring speakers. People live down here.\u201d Her friend Gabe Goulding, 23, agrees the town has changed \u201cdrastically\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen years ago, I remember, the high street<\/a> used to be really busy. There used to be a youth club every Friday evening where everyone used to be, kids would just go and play. That got cancelled and it just slowly died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others, however, believe Gosport deserves more credit, like Dave Lewis. \u201cGosport\u2019s got quite a bad reputation,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s not anywhere near as bad as its reputation. There are rough areas. But it\u2019s not bad bad. There are far worse places.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council points out that 33 new businesses opened across the high street and Stoke Road in 2025, which was a “clear sign of growing confidence in the local economy”.<\/p>\n

\"Gabe<\/p>\n

Gabe Goulding and Emily Voller both want to leave Gosport (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/p>\n

Dave Lewis thinks Gosport needs more job opportunities for young people (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

He points to a town shaped by the decline of its traditional employers<\/a>, with the Ferguson TV factory disappearing in the 90s, triggering 2,000 job losses, and the departure of medical manufacturer Covidien in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is an area where there\u2019s not a lot of opportunities,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there again, that\u2019s not different to other areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, fewer people are turning to the Navy. Between the end of mandatory National Service in 1960 and 2025, personnel numbers fell by 66,000 (67%). Though HMS Sultan, Gosport’s engineer training site, remains a large employer after being saved from closure in 2022.<\/p>\n

Youth charity Motiv8<\/a> has spent years supporting young people aged nine to 19 in Gosport and across Hampshire. Vicki Llewelyn, Head of Quality and Services, coordinates drop-in sessions, business experience days and skills programmes, like bike maintenance classes that now attract nearly 30 young people a week.<\/p>\n

“So many are still impacted by COVID<\/a>,\u201d she says. \u201cWe’re still having young people who aren’t really leaving their house, aren’t accessing education, so actually the ability to come here and engage in groups or larger groups is massive. To then see that they’re linking up with their peers and doing things outside of what we’re delivering is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

But she explains one of the biggest problems is what happens as teenagers transition into adulthood, when support often drops away.<\/p>\n

\"Gosport<\/p>\n

Gosport Shopping Precinct, opposite the soon to be opened Gosport Police Station (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

\"Vicki<\/p>\n

Vicki Llewelyn, Head of Quality and Services at youth charity Motiv8 (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a missing gap there for those young people,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you’re already struggling\u2026 it makes finding a job even harder, and then I think you can find yourself going in this loop of not really knowing where to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vicki says a lack of Government funding in youth services<\/a> is being felt across the country, but points out they are “saving the economy further down the line in terms of getting people into employment or reducing antisocial behaviour<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

Local authority spend on youth services fell by 10% in a single year in England and Wales in February \u2014 the sharpest annual reduction since 2016\u201317 \u2014 according to analysis by YMCA England and Wales.<\/p>\n

Money, it seems, it the key. Mike thinks huge investments are needed to bring in a wider range of employers, while Vicki stresses the need for youth services before children get to working age. Still, there is resilience in the work being done locally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve had parents come back and say to us, you’re the only people who we can trust, you’ll be there,\u201d says Vicki. \u201cI think that’s why we do it, and we don’t give up hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"-\"<\/p>\n

Gosport is right by the sea with ‘amazing’ architecture (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express)<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Gosport Borough Council said: “The People\u2019s Park project is now moving into delivery and will create a new green space and bandstand for community events, activities, and families. Regeneration of the waterfront is also progressing, including plans for the historic Rum Store, which could create new jobs and support creative and commercial uses.<\/p>\n

“The facts show a town moving forward, with new businesses opening, public spaces being improved, and long-term regeneration creating opportunities for residents.<\/p>\n

“While we recognise the national challenges facing high streets, we remain ambitious for Gosport\u2019s future and know there is more to do. By taking a joined-up approach to regeneration, infrastructure, and investment, we are working to create a vibrant town centre that stays true to Gosport\u2019s heritage while supporting jobs, businesses, and the wider community.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gosport town centre in Hampshire (Image: Adam Gerrard \/ Daily Express) Sitting on a bench waiting for her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,2195,59,208072,208075,208073,22000,3883,56,54,55,208074],"class_list":["post-611691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-employment","tag-gb","tag-gosport-population-decline","tag-local-employment-challenges","tag-royal-navy-job-loss","tag-seaside-town","tag-towns","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-youth-services-funding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}