Portsmouth sea defence work designs shared

Planning documents said the design approach for the Southsea Common to Hover Travel section of the scheme "connects people and place"

More details of a city's £180m coastal defence scheme have been released.

Portsmouth City Council has submitted an application seeking the approval of details relating to the design of the sea defences, and the placement of monuments, roads and footpaths.

Defences are being built along a 4.5km (2.8 mile) section of coast, aimed at protecting 4,000 homes from rising sea levels.

Permission was granted for the scheme in December 2019.

As one of the UK's lowest lying cities, Portsmouth is particularly vulnerable to flooding as sea levels rise.

Planning documents said the design approach for the Southsea Common to Hover Travel section of the scheme "connects people and place".

Listed monuments would be "carefully dismantled and stored while the works are carried out", the authority said

It added: "Focusing on the needs of people, then designing spaces that create opportunities for a chance encounter.

"In line with a beautiful infrastructure ethos, the materials, furniture and planting have been inspired by Southsea's surrounding natural and built context.

"The overall character, simplicity and continuity of the materials will re-enforce the sense of place, improve legibility and place a new emphasis on the surrounding natural assets so loved by the people of Portsmouth."

It added that in response to public feedback, additional areas of soft landscaping had been incorporated into the scheme to improve biodiversity. These will include raised planters to the back of the promenade area.

The council said it had carried out "detailed discussions" with Historic England about the materials used for the hard surfaces around Long Curtain Moat and Southsea Castle, both designated as scheduled monuments in the project.

Listed monuments, such as the Shannon Naval Brigade, Trafalgar Memorial, Trident Memorial, Aboukir Memorial and Chesapeake Memorial, would be "carefully dismantled and stored while the works are carried out", the authority said.

The application was submitted last month and should be decided by 6 February.

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