Calls for rethink over Portsmouth reclaimed-land housing plan

The RSPB and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said the Tipner West development should be stopped

Conservationists have called for a "rethink" on a housing development on reclaimed land in Portsmouth.

A "super peninsula" has been proposed at Tipner by Portsmouth City Council that could see up to 4,000 homes built.

More than 12,000 people have signed a petition to save what the RSPB and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust called an "internationally important wildlife site".

The council said the project would create thousands of skilled jobs.

Further public consultations on the plans are due to be held.

Portsmouth City Council last year approved spending £8m to progress with the 43.5-hectare (107-acre) Tipner West development that included reclaiming about 67 acres of land from Portsmouth Harbour's Special Protection Area.

Under the plan, the level of the land would be raised and the current sea defences would be "strengthened and enhanced", in order to stop it from flooding.

Portsmouth City Council has proposed creating a "super-peninsula" by reclaiming land from the sea

The wildlife trust claimed the project would "destroy" mudflats in the area that support species such as Brent geese as well as diverse populations of fish and invertebrates, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Chief executive of the trust Debbie Tann said: "These vital natural resources, once lost, can't be replaced or compensated for. We urgently need to rethink development at a local and national level.

"If we don't start prioritising nature's recovery, our cities will quickly become uninhabitable for both wildlife and people."

A spokesman for the city council said a "key aim" of the development was to create thousands of skilled jobs.

"We want to build on Portsmouth's shipbuilding heritage and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the city, especially in these challenging times," he said.

He insisted the council would follow "stringent ecological and environmental regulations".

A central government grant of £48.75m has already been allocated to Portsmouth to enable the creation of jobs at Tipner West.