North Portsea Island scheme moving forward

Coastal Partners today released the latest update on their North Portsea Island Coastal Defense Project.

From April to September 2021, they will be constructing the first 500m of seawall and rebuilding two slipways along the Eastern Road as part of the North Portsea Island coastal defense scheme.

“We will also be preparing the area of the next 1km of frontage ready for construction in 2022. The coastal path will be closed with a diversion for pedestrians in place,” the statement reads.

The North Portsea Island Scheme covers 8.4km of Portsmouth’s coastline from Tipner through to Milton.

Most of the area is low-lying and many of the current coastal defenses are approaching the end of their effective lives. Predictions also indicate that sea levels are set to rise by up to a meter over the next 100 years, meaning the flood risk to the area will increase.

The new scheme is designed to a 1 in 500 year (plus allowance for climate change to 2100) standard of protection against flooding, reducing the risk of flooding from the sea to over 4,200 homes, 500 businesses, and critical infrastructure including the Eastern Road over the next 100 years.