Post-War Rebuilding of Portsea

1950

The decade following the end of the Second World War saw the beginning of a massive rebuilding programme in Portsea, made necessary by the catastrophic bomb damage sustained during the Blitz. The pre-war district of dense Victorian terraces, corner shops and narrow streets had been largely destroyed, and the city council embarked on a comprehensive programme of slum clearance and reconstruction. The new Portsea that emerged was radically different from the old. Wide roads replaced narrow lanes. Blocks of council flats and maisonettes, built in the utilitarian style of the period, replaced the terraced streets. Open spaces and parking areas were created where housing had once stood cheek by jowl. The rebuilding followed the planning principles of the day, which favoured lower density, separation of uses and improved sanitation and light. While the new housing was a significant improvement in terms of physical amenity, with indoor bathrooms, central heating and more space per dwelling, the rebuilding also broke up the tightly knit community that had characterised pre-war Portsea. Many former residents had been dispersed during the war and did not return. The new housing estates, though adequate in practical terms, lacked the character and community feel of the old streets. This tension between improved living conditions and lost community identity is a recurring theme in the story of post-war Portsea.