Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a seaside district of the borough of Gosport in Hampshire, England, about five miles (8 km) west of Portsmouth.
Over the period 1884 to 1894 the district was established with the setting out of Marine Parade, a pier, railway connection along with a number of impressive red brick villas.
The railway service was discontinued in the 1930s and the pier, unrepaired after breaching in aid of coastal defence in World War II, was demolished in 1958.
It was designed by architects Yates, Cook & Derbyshire, and comprised a white V-shaped Art Deco building with a 120-foot (37 m) tower.
[11] The airfield is operated by Regional & City Airports Management (RCA) on behalf of the owners, Fareham Borough Council.
At once, the Daedalus Action Group was formed under the chairmanship of John Beavis to oppose the scheme with the support of a large number of local residents.
After a U-turn in government policy, the Home Office decided in February 2004 to abandon the asylum centre plan and the action group celebrated with a rally on the seafront.
In early May 2006, 20 unexploded Canadian pipe mines were found under HMS Daedalus during site clearance prior to disposal by the Ministry of Defence.
60 feet (20 metres) long, they were left over from 265, packed with a total of 2,400 lb of gelignite, planted in World War II to make the airfield unusable in the event of an enemy invasion.
The subsequent removal, thought to be the largest of its kind in peacetime Britain, led to the evacuation of some 900 homes staggered over a five-week period.
[14] The CEMAST (Centre of Excellence in Engineering & Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training) campus on the airfield is now open to students.
The centre caters for full and part-time students undertaking apprenticeship programmes for companies such as BAE systems and Virgin Atlantic.
[citation needed] On the last day of July 2018, a 'possibly deactivated' bomb was discovered '250 metres south west of the slip way in Lee-on-Solent'.
On Marine Parade West main sea front stands the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Lee-on-Solent Memorial.
Some pubs have been demolished to make way for housing and retirement developments, including the Belle Vue Hotel and The Swordfish, which was located on the border between Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head, Fareham.