Southsea sea defences: Councillors reject idea to make planning decisions in secret

Coastal Partners made the request to Portsmouth City Council in a bid to speed up work on the £100m sea defences project by avoiding the more onerous process of having every decision come through the council’s planning committee.

But its members, who brought in the rule when the project was initially approved in 2019 due to a shortage of information about proposals for the promenade, said public oversight was needed.

NOW READ: All you need to know about the Southsea sea defences

Councillor Judith Smyth, who was on the committee at the time and has since been elected its vice-chairwoman, was among those who called for the request to be rejected.

‘When we first started on this, public interest was very high – and it still is,’ she said at Wednesday’s (May 31) meeting. ‘A lot of people are very concerned about the detail and I’m quite happy [applications] continue to be brought here.

IN PICTURES: Aerial footage shows sea defence work progress

‘There was a considerable amount of discussion about whether the design should be slightly varied for each section. What’s been done so far is wonderful but I don’t think we have got the public quite lined up with what we seem to be saying which is that we have now got a uniform design right the way down the coast.’

ALSO SEE: Here’s when the sea defences scheme will end

Council planning officers had supported Coastal Partners’ request, saying there ‘is now a higher level of knowledge of the character, quality and consistency of design than when the first application was determined’.

‘They also note the need for efficient decision-making, to aid the overall planning service and of course the delivery of the coastal defences,’ a report to the committee said. ‘Your officers consider the request to be fair and reasonable.’

But the committee voted unanimously to dismiss it.

Later on at the meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to a 60cm wall being built along the seaward edge of West Battery Field by Coastal Partners.

A new ‘Theatre of the Sea’ is taking shape at Southsea Castle with tiered seating being installed. The split-level promenade will replace the existing walkway around Southsea Castle.