Southsea Sea Defences: One-way road along Clarence Esplanade approved as well as the relocation of monuments

Members of the city council’s planning committee have unanimously approved a series of amendments to the plans first approved in 2019 for the stretch of coastline between Clarence Pier and Blue Reef Aquarium, as well as the repositioning of the listed lampposts and monuments in the area.

Councillor Lee Hunt, the meeting’s chairman, described the works as “really important” and said the revisions made by Coastal Partners were an improvement on the original proposals.

“I think everyone’s a winner with these changes, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “It’s significantly improved the public realm and it’s put to bed some of the rumours about the beach and what it might look like, changing what is a pretty ugly area right now.”

The main application focuses around the link between the sea defences and the Grade I-listed Naval Memorial which falls in line with the secondary line of defences. Parking spaces immediately next to the memorial will be removed to widen the promenade to create a better pedestrian route to the sea from Southsea Common. Despite this, there will be more parking spaces under the revised scheme than the 2019 version.

Clarence Esplanade will also be narrowed and become westbound-only, except for a segregated cycleway that can be used to travel in either direction and will mostly be separated from the road by parking spaces.

• Promenade to close so work can begin on Speakers' Corner

• First phase between Long Curtain Moat is officially opened

• Permission sought to preserve historical gem

Concerns were raised by people living in Clarence Parade that this would increase traffic along the road but the committee was told it was unlikely to have a significant effect.

Nicola Reid, a senior coastal planner for Coastal Partners, told the committee that work on the section was expected to begin early next year and that the latest plans were the best option for building the sea defences while also making the most of the public areas along the seafront.

“This is a very tricky section,” she said. “It has a lot of constraints with the common, the sea and a lot of listed structures and we’ve had to work really hard to seek as many improvements to this design as possible without compromising that standard of protection.”

Alongside granting approval for this application, the committee also granted listed building consent to relocate five of the grade II-listed monuments and the listed lampposts which will be spread evenly apart although concerns were raised about the planned removal of the festoon lights between them.

Permission was also given for works around the grade I-listed Naval War Memorial which will fall in line with the second line of flood defences, made up of an earth bund.