Plans for 200 new homes at Tipner deferred over flooding fears

Portsmouth City Council planning officers had recommended that the 221-home Bellway Homes scheme be approved at Wednesday’s meeting of its planning committee but instead a six-week deferral was agreed.

Concerns were raised by councillors that without more information, particularly around flood mitigation measures and access to a road through the site, it would ‘not be appropriate’ to make a final decision.

The application for land between the proposed Vivid development to the north and Stamshaw Junior School to the south includes the construction of 221 homes, one-third of which will be affordable.

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The developer has been working with Homes England, which has bought sections of the land including the now-demolished greyhound stadium, in a bid to make its redevelopment financially viable.

Mark Chevis, the company’s land director said it hoped construction would start this year, had planning permission been granted. It is expected it would take between three and five years to complete.

‘This is the culmination of quite a few years between Bellway and Homes England who are the landowners,’ he said at the committee’s meeting. ‘Bellway are excited about the prospect of kick-starting regeneration in Tipner.’

He added that he believed the development would ‘breathe new life into the area’ and that the company was ‘committed’ to bringing the project forward.

However, hundreds of people signed a petition against the development with concerns largely focused around proposed access via Tipner Lane.

Council planners said the road would only serve one-fifth of the homes and that there was a legal agreement that would prevent use of a new road through the proposed estate as a through road.

Councillors were told there had originally been plans to block it off with bollards to enforce this but that this had been abandoned due to ongoing discussions between the developer and the council about its use for a bus route linking to the park and ride site.

Without detailed plans for the road and due to concerns around the lack of measures to prevent flooding should the Vivid Homes scheme, which includes new sea defences, not be built the committee said it could not make a decision on whether to grant planning permission.

‘I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to approve this without a bit more detail,’ vice-chairwoman Judith Smyth said. ‘We cannot make a clear and reasonable decision without it. It’s extremely difficult to see what is proposed.’

A proposal by Gerald Vernon-Jackson, who said he was ‘very worried’ about potential issues on the site should it go ahead, to defer deliberation until the committee’s July 12 meeting was agreed.