Tipner West: 'Confidence' that a major marine employment hub and 1,000 homes will be built on Portsmouth site

Recently, the Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet met to review the progress of the development at the site which can be found on the opposite side of the M275 to the park and ride, including the overarching project objective and the principles established by the council. Introducing the item, the council’s assistant director of economy, planning and transport Tom Southall said: “There are clearly a number of ongoing issues yet to be resolved and I dare say there will be a number of papers coming back on this throughout the duration of this year.”

The ongoing issues surrounding the site revolve around its ecological designations, as it holds Ramsar status and is both a special protection area and a site of special scientific interest. In December last year, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust labelled the council as making “foolhardy” decisions in pursuing development on a legally protected site. This came after a cabinet member accused the trust of delaying the project, and therefore flood defences that come with it. He warned that if the council cannot pursue development there will be significant flooding and the trust will “lose the very thing that they say they’re fighting for”.

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Due to the legal protections, the project must undergo a rigorous process to ensure there are no other solutions to meet the objective that the project is aimed to achieve – known as the overarching objective. This has been defined as creating a “marine employment hub” with access to deep water. The aim is to support the growth of the marine workforce by expanding the business cluster and infrastructure, along with sufficient housing to ensure its viability. The council’s objectives include providing between 814 and 1,250 homes, 58,000 sqm of marine employment space, maximising local job creation and minimising the impact on council finances and public services.

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Cabinet member for planning policy, Cllr Hugh Mason, said the issue had been ongoing for decades before he became a councillor roughly 20 years ago. “I think we have got to a stage where we can look forward with confidence to something which will work for this part of Tipner.

“This is looking for the manufacturing future of this great manufacturing city and that is something which I think we must hold on to above all things.”

The report will be noted in a full council meeting.