Portsmouth Council pays firm £50k to clear planning backlog

More than 7,000 developments were reported to be in limbo in the area around The Solent

A private company has been brought in to tackle hundreds of planning applications in Portsmouth.

The backlog of 300 applications is a result of the coronavirus pandemic and a pause on housing developments because of nitrate pollution in The Solent.

Portsmouth City Council is to pay Terraquest in the region of £50,000 to deal with the backlog.

It said it had also hired experienced planning officers for key projects as well as a number of temporary officers.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said between 800 and 1,000 planning applications were processed by the authority each year.

Before the pandemic, the backlog had already built up because housebuilding had been halted by five councils, including Portsmouth, amid concerns about nitrate levels in The Solent.

Planning policy councillor Hugh Mason said: "Most councils have seen their planning processes disrupted as a result of coronavirus.

"During lockdown the civic offices were unavailable to display applications for inspection or for staff to carry out assessments, and committee meetings had to be postponed until we could set up safe virtual alternatives.

"We are now putting new measures in place to ensure we can process applications as quickly as possible."

The government previously pledged £2.3m to tackle the nitrates problem by "re-wilding" farmland to reduce the use of nitrate fertilizers.

It also announced a separate nitrate credits online trading platform in September.