Portsmouth reclaimed-land housing plan angers wildlife groups

A proposal for more than 2,000 homes on land reclaimed from the sea would "rip up an internationally important wildlife site", conservationists warn.

A "super peninsula" has been proposed at Tipner by Portsmouth City Council that could feature up to 2,200 homes.

The RSPB and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said it was "one of the most significant threats to wildlife" in the country.

But the council said the development "undeveloped and underused"

Last year, the authority released a draft consultation document into the Tipner West Development, which said using the 43.5 hectares (107 acres) site would "help to meet the city's employment and housing needs".

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.

In a joint statement, the RSPB and HIWWT said the plans for the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) would destroy feeding and roosting grounds for wintering waterbirds, such as brent geese and black-tailed godwits.

Nick Bruce-White, of the RSPB, said: "The site is of huge value not just for the birds, but for the people of Portsmouth who appreciate the richness and value of the wildlife on their doorstep.

"It's the nature equivalent of a developer proposing to demolish the city's historic dockyard and sink HMS Victory."

The groups also said the development would mean the mudflats would release carbon currently locked away and reduce the ability of the area to store more.

They also claimed it would lead to more erosion and increase the strain on water treatment infrastructure.

HIWWT chief executive Debbie Tann said the proposal "beggars belief".

"In a time of crisis for the environment, health and the economy, spending millions of pounds of public money pursuing plans to destroy internationally important natural assets and undermine the city's long-term sustainability is crazy," she said.

The groups have set up a petition opposing the scheme which has received more than 1,400 signatures.

Councillor Hugh Mason, Portsmouth City Council's member for planning policy and city development, said the scheme would follow "the stringent ecological and environmental regulations".

"Tipner West is a unique car-free scheme which will pioneer a new way of living and working for generations of people to come and provide much-needed housing and employment to our area," he added.

He urged the groups to "work with us rather than against us" on the development.