Southsea seafront roads to be closed 'permanently' by council to ease coronavirus congestion

Due to an increase in the number of people exercising in Southsea during the coronavirus pandemic, Portsmouth City Council has taken the decision to close Eastney Esplanade, between Canoe Lake and St George’s Road, and Clarence Esplanade from the D-Day Story to the Hovertravel terminal.

These road closures will come into effect on Friday, May 1.

Deputy council leader, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: ‘It’s a constrained space and a lot of people live in close proximity to it.

‘The problem has been that during the week it’s been getting harder for people to stay two metres away from one another – people are staying active but that's a double-edged sword.

‘This will give them more room as they can use the road space to keep their distance.’

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Southsea’s road closures have been a work in progress throughout this week, with the city councillors liaising with traffic officers to get it done.

The plan is to keep the roads closed ‘permanently’ during lockdown – but Cllr Steve Pitt has warned residents not to expect the roads to reopen anytime soon.

He said: ‘I would imagine that the roads will remain closed even after the lockdown measures are eased.

‘Regardless of the government relaxing their measures, people will still have to socially distance for a few months after that.’

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