Port Solent tip booking: Portsmouth City Council confirms it will keep appointment system until at least next year

Cabinet members agreed on Tuesday to extend the use of the system while also reintroducing access for cyclists through the same booking procedure.

Council leader, councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said the new arrangements at Paulsgrove tip had been 'incredibly successful' by reducing queueing and subsequent pollution.

Following an initial closure of the tip at the start of the pandemic last year, the council reopened it in May on a new booking-only basis aimed at allowing proper social distancing and reducing congestion in the area.

A report by the council's head of waste collection, Dave Emmett, acknowledged this created 'initial challenges' due to high demand for slots but said it later improved the situation.

He said it had lowered traffic levels in the area which in turn allowed the council to scale back measures to mitigate this and site security.

There are now 416 slots available each day which can be booked a week in advance.

Mr Emmett's report recommended that the council's cabinet agree to extend this system until at least March 2022 as a result of these improvements and to cater for any new coronavirus restrictions introduced over the coming months.

'The booking system has demonstrated that managing customer throughput is effective means of enabling [the tip] to operate more efficiently,' his report said. 'Congestion was commonplace at Portsmouth [tip] on sunny weekends and key public holidays, creating delays on the local road network and increased vehicle emissions from idling cars queuing.

'Booking a slot enables residents to plan with confidence that they candeposit their waste swiftly, easily and with minimal waiting.'

His report also recommended reintroducing access to the site for cyclists, which has not been allowed since it reopened last year.

Both recommendations were unanimously approved by the council's cabinet when it met on Tuesday.

'The booking system at the tip has been incredibly successful, particularly in terms of not having queues of traffic chucking out fumes down by Port Solent ' Cllr Vernon-Jackson said.

'It seems that that is a system that people have enjoyed and that works well and, therefore, we should keep for the future.'

It was also confirmed by cabinet member for environment, councillor Dave Ashmore, on Tuesday that the tip would retain its glass recycling bank, despite a move by Hampshire County Council to remove the option from its sites.