Floating wheelchairs to be trialled in Portsmouth this year as part of wider accessibility bid

THE use of floating wheelchairs will be demonstrated in the city this summer as part of a wider bid to make the seafront more accessible to all.
Portsmouth City Council is looking at ways to improve accessibility to the seafrontPortsmouth City Council is looking at ways to improve accessibility to the seafront
Portsmouth City Council is looking at ways to improve accessibility to the seafront

Portsmouth City Council has pledged to explore a range of trials and designs to allow people with disabilities to enjoy the sea.

During a virtual full council meeting yesterday (July 21) city resident John Cullen presented his accessible beach for Pompey petition, which had been signed by more than 1,000 people calling on improvements to be made to Eastney Beach.

Read More
Scooter hire planned for Portsmouth seafront
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: 'It's important to think what do our disabled visitors want when they come to the seafront. If they can swim they will want to go in the water in the summer, just like able people can.

'And just like many able people they want to swim close to a lifeguard station as well as disabled changing huts, parking, toilet facilities and wheelchair hire.'

He explained that existing facilities were not considered good enough.

'The facilities at Eastney consist of two concrete ramps, one at each end of Eastney Beach each leading to rubber matting which stops in a "T" approximately halfway to the sea allowing the wheelchair user to get a closer view of the water than from the promenade,' he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The council's leisure boss, Councillor Steve Pitt, confirmed that options were currently being considered.

'It is really important that the city council puts resident's safety first, and that any access across the beach is safe, particularly for residents with health needs,' he said.

'We are aware of some trials this summer in England which we hope might identify potential solutions for similar shingle landscapes with an all-terrain wheelchair option from the United States.

'We will report back through the cabinet member for culture, leisure and economic development's portfolio decision meeting later this year with an update on what we have discovered from these trials.'

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added: 'We will have a demonstration of floating wheelchairs in early August.'

As previously reported it is also planned that a Shop Mobility scooter hire scheme will be trialled along the promenade in the future. Seafront accessibility will also be considered when the more detailed designs for the new Southsea sea defences are created.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.