Watch: Sneak peek at new Southsea Common footpath ahead of seafront closures

The new path is being created by the Coastal Partners team to the north of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on the Common which will provide a route across the area after the promenade closes on October 21. It begins at the access road on the common to the east of the site and exits into the The Esplanade Car Park at its most western point, with access to the Portsmouth Naval Memorial maintained.

New aerial footage and images reveal how the path will look, with the Coastal defences team continuing their work to surface it and get it ready ahead of its use later this month.

Watch the video by Marcin Jedrysiak embedded in this story to see what the new footpath will look like.

As previously reported by The News, the area between Blue Reef Aquarium and the hovercraft will be closed to the public the day after the Great South Run until Summer 2026 to allow for the works for the next phase of the sea defences which is known as Frontage 3.

Work will include positioning the boulders and other materials to create the defences in the sea, as well as parking changes to the parking arrangements to create a better pedestrian route to the sea from Southsea Common.

Clarence Esplanade will also be narrowed and become westbound-only, except for a segregated cycleway which can be used to travel in either direction and will mostly be separated from the road by parking spaces. The monuments on the Esplanade will also be repositioned and new seating put in place with the whole area matching the phase which opened this summer between the Pyramids the Blue Reef.

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With the work set to last around 18 months, a new temporary footpath is being created across the common to ensure continual access for pedestrians walking along the sea front which is being laid as far south as possible to reduce the impact on people using the common as well as events which will take place there over the next year and a half.

During the works, Clarence Esplanade will be closed to all traffic both ways between the hovercraft and Blue Reef area with a diversion in place through Clarence Parade, Duisburg Way and Pier Road. Drivers will also be no longer able to park along that stretch of the esplanade and are being encouraged to use nearby carparks or use public transport.

The Beach Club, which sits on Clarence Esplanade, will also be closing its doors from October 20 as it cannot operate while the work is being carried out.

The sea defences is the UK’s biggest authority-led coastal defence project which is costing upwards of £180million. The project has been divided into phases with phase one starting back in September 2020.