Tipner West
Portsmouth City Council's plans to build a hugely damaging marine hub and housing development at Tipner West, that threatened to destroy many hectares of wildlife-rich mudflats and coastal grassland, have been firmly rejected by the Government. But what next for this site?
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Seven years after Portsmouth City Council first announced their audacious Tipner West ‘super peninsula’ plans, involving concreting over around 30 hectares of Portsmouth Harbour Special Protection Area and Ramsar site for a marine employment hub and as many as 4,000 new houses, the plans were finally rejected by the Government in February 2025.
Over the years, the RSPB and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust campaigned hard against this damaging development, which we feared would set a precedent for more damaging schemes to override wildlife protections elsewhere. We pressed for a more nature-positive future for Tipner West, even taking the unusual step of commissioning a firm of landscape architects to design a scheme, still in line with the Council’s development aspirations, but in harmony with the internationally important wildlife that also calls this area home (see here).
The super peninsula scheme was eventually scaled back to around 800 houses alongside the marine hub development, but the designated sites were still paying the price to make the finances stack up, to the tune of around 14.5 hectares of internationally important tidal feeding areas and terrestrial roosting habitat, which would be permanently lost as a result of the development.
Thankfully, in February 2025 the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government advised the Council that the proposed development did not outweigh the importance of protecting the Special Protection Area/Ramsar site. So it's back to the drawing board for the Council. We hope that the Council will take this opportunity to rethink how Tipner West could be redeveloped to offer an exceptional place for people and wildlife to live and work.
Why is it worth fighting for?
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.
How you can help
We are expecting a public consultation on Portsmouth City Council’s new plans for Tipner West in Autumn 2025. We very much hope that the Council will adopt a nature-positive vision for Tipner West that the Wildlife Trust and the RSPB are able to wholeheartedly support, but keep an eye out for more news here and on the Hampshire and Isle of Wildlife Trust’s website here.
Our position
The RSPB recognises that Portsmouth needs sustainable employment development and new homes, but this must not be at the expense of our most important wildlife sites.
We will continue to work together with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to encourage the Council to adopt a nature positive approach to Tipner West, that meets the Council's goals for housing and development while safeguarding the important sites protected for nature. If Portsmouth City Council come forward with another scheme that risks crossing the 'red line' for nature, we will again object.
Timeline
- February 2025
Portsmouth City Council are informed by the Government that their proposed scheme for Tipner West (as set out in their draft Local Plan) does not meet one of the three key tests for an exception to be made to the laws protecting the surrounding wildlife area (Portsmouth Special Protection Area and Ramsar Wetland Site). The submission of the draft Portsmouth Local Plan is paused while the Council decide on a new proposal for Tipner West.
- July -September 2024
The final public consultation takes place on Portsmouth City Council’s draft Local Plan (prior to submission to the Government for examination) which includes a policy for Tipner West that would allow development resulting in direct damage to the internationally important wildlife sites, including the direct loss of around 10 hectares of intertidal and other marine habitat and over 4 hectares of coastal grassland.
The RSPB and Wildlife Trust launch another campaign to send a message to the Council and Government of support for a wilder future for Tipner West that ensures the future of the protected nature sites and does not set a dangerous precedent that allows nature protections to be overridden. Just under 7,000 people add their support to the campaign.
- 2022-present
Portsmouth City Council consider options to deliver the marine hub and housing at Tipner West while taking advice from the statutory agencies, plus the RSPB and Wildlife Trust. Despite our strong advice, many of the options still include building over parts of the protected sites.
- October 2022
Portsmouth City Council officially rule out the Tipner West super-peninsula option, but also rule out the ‘do nothing’ option for the site, setting new parameters for delivering the marine hub and new housing at Tipner West.
- April 2022
The RSPB and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust launch a challenge to Portsmouth City Council to consider an alternative option for Tipner West, an alternative that safeguards the protected sites whilst meeting the Council’s goals for housing and development. We also set out our key asks for any future development at Tipner West, and asked the public to join with us by contacting Portsmouth’s councillors and demanding that they #Don’tCrossTheLine.
- December 2021
Following the 'pause and rethink' motion, the Council's Tipner regeneration team present a report to the Council. This results in a cross-party working group of councillors re-examining the options for Tipner West.
- November 2021
In partnership with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, we write to Sectary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities expressing our concerns with Portsmouth City Council’s approach to setting a new housing target and the proposals at Tipner West.
- October 2021
Portsmouth City Council votes to ‘pause and rethink’ the Tipner super-peninsula development, citing concerns over the environmental damage and public money spent to date (£10.8 million). The Council’s Cabinet is instructed to prepare a report on the status of the project outlining total spend to date, viable alternative options for Tipner West and a timeline for further decisions to be made. This report will be discussed at the Full Council meeting in December.
More than 9,000 people comment on Portsmouth City Council’s draft Local Plan through the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and RSPB campaign, expressing the importance of Tipner for wildlife and the impact the site has on their personal health and wellbeing.
The RSPB and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust submit a joint response to Portsmouth City Council’s draft Local Plan setting out our strong opposition to the super-peninsula and raising concerns that it could undermine the Council’s entire Local Plan if they press ahead with the scheme.
- September-October 2021
Portsmouth City Council consult the public on their ‘Regulation 18’ draft local plan, including an option for the super-peninsula at Tipner West.
The RSPB and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust launch a new campaign encouraging people to object to the super-peninsula option in the draft local plan. Over 9,000 people object via the campaign action.
- November 2020
Portsmouth City Council rebrand the super-peninsula as 'Lennox Point' describing it as 'a unique site where land meets sea' and 'an iconic and captivating gateway into Portsmouth'. But the rebrand cannot hide the fact that the now expanded 4,000 house and 100,000 sq metre marine employment development would mean building over around 30 hectares of Portsmouth Harbour’s protected mudflats and coastal grassland.
The RSPB and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust launch the #DontGoThere petition to save Portsmouth Harbour's wildlife. An incredible 25,000 people sign the petition, adding their opposition to the super-peninsula development.
- March 2019
The RSPB respond to Portsmouth City Council's Tipner and Horsea Strategic Development Area Consultation expressing our strongest objection to initial proposals for a 3,400 house and 30,000 sq. metre 'super-peninsula' development involving the reclamation of a substantial area of the Portsmouth Harbour SPA and Ramsar site. The Council describe the proposals as a continuation of land reclamation trends around Portsea Island, but times have changed and development over protected nature reserves is no longer acceptable for a housing and business development.