Tipner West

The Council dropped their disastrous original plans for the Tipner West ‘super peninsula’ (AKA Lennox Point) which would have seen around 30ha of Portsmouth Harbour’s mudflats and coastal grassland concreted over. We’ve come a long way, but the current proposals set out in the final draft Local Plan would still destroy up to 2.9ha of Portsmouth Harbour's protected marine habitats, as well as another potential 3.6ha of protected coastal grassland which is important for roosting birds.

The RSPB is once again joining forces with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to send a clear message to the Portsmouth City Council and the Government not to set a dangerous precedent by allowing the proposed development to destroy areas of the legally protected sites, but instead deliver a sustainable regeneration scheme that Portsmouth can be proud of. That means keeping the development within the ecological limits of the site and not building on vital habitats that are relied on by special wildlife.

You can join with us in demanding the Council and Government meet goals for housing and employment without building on protected sites: an immovable red line for nature.

Portsmouth Harbour is recognised internationally for its saltmarsh and vast expanses of mudflats and tidal creeks that provide shelter and a rich source of food for thousands of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and other waterbirds that visit here in search of warmer winter climes from their breeding grounds as far afield as Siberia and Greenland.

Whilst the need for employment and housing development is acknowledged, it is essential that nature does not pay the price. With the threats of climate change and global biodiversity collapse it is more important than ever that all new development is sustainable and that means building in harmony with nature.

If the proposals for Tipner West are allowed to go ahead it would also set a very damaging precedent threating the protection of all of our most important natural sites across the country.

We cannot keep trying to squeeze nature into smaller and smaller spaces. Once these sites are lost, they are gone forever.

We have a short window of opportunity for Portsmouth residents and the wider public to respond strongly to the final draft Portsmouth Local Plan (the ‘Regulation 19 Pre-Submission’ consultation) and convince the Council and the new Government not to set the harmful ‘Portsmouth precedent’ and instead to support a wilder future for Tipner West that ensures the future of these protected nature sites. The consultation closes on 3rd September 2024.

All the details for how to send your message to Portsmouth City Council – and other ways to share the call for help – are on the Hampshire and Isle of Wildlife Trust’s e-action page here.

The RSPB recognises that Portsmouth needs sustainable employment development and new homes, just as nature needs homes, but the current proposals for Tipner West in the draft Portsmouth Local Plan still risk crossing key red lines for nature protection. 

We have worked together with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to try to show the Council that there is a potential solution for Tipner West that meets the Council’s goals for housing and development while safeguarding the sites protected for nature. We have tried to show the Council that it doesn’t need to settle on an option that bulldozes over parts of the protected area for nature, as this would set a dangerous national precedent and wreak havoc for our local wildlife.  

We do not agree with the Council’s view that there are no other less damaging alternatives to the proposals set out for Tipner West in their draft local plan, nor that the need for this development is imperative for reasons of overriding public interest. Therefore the RSPB, along with the Wildlife Trust will be submitting an objection to the pre-publication draft Portsmouth Local Plan.