More of Southsea Beach set to close as ambitious project to double its size begins this week
Fresh beach closures are set to begin in Southsea from tomorrow (Wednesday, October 1) as part of the next phase of works to create new sea defences in the city.
Around one million tonnes of shingle will be added to the beach between the Pyramids and the Coffee Cup café in Eastney as part of a measure to double the beach area which will then prevent ‘overtopping’ during storms as the additional shingle will reduce the energy of the waves.
From October 1, the beach between the Pyramids and South Parade Pier will be closed as heavy machinery is used to pipe the shingle ashore and stockpile it ready to be moved along the beach. Then, in mid-November this will be extended in stages up to the Coffee Cup in Eastney.
The promenade and local businesses will remain open, but there will be some localised road closures at The Dell. The beach will then reopen section-by-section, starting at the Coffee Cup and progressively opening from the east end from mid-December. Limited access to the beach west of the pier is expected from January 2026.
Due to the tidal nature of the work, from mid-November, working hours may also be outside of the normal hours of 7am to 7pm.
On top of this, work to extend the Canoe Lake outfall pipe by 60 metres out to sea just east of South Parade Pier will be included in this phase of works, with localised closures in place and work being carried out over the winter to minimise disruption.
Weather permitting, the shingle placement is expected to be completed by March 2026, after which work to rebuild the promenade and old sea defences will begin. The shingle itself comes from licensed dredging zones southeast of the Isle of Wight, selected to avoid sensitive habitats.
Amy Bandrés Arbués, project delivery manager at the Southsea Coastal Scheme said: "This new beach will provide primary flood defence and can be easily maintained. By working through winter and opening the beach in stages, we aim to reduce inconvenience to users.
“We're excited to fully reopen the beach before moving on to replace the existing sea defences."
Led by Portsmouth City Council and delivered by Coastal Partners and VSBW, this is the largest local authority-led flood defence scheme in the UK.
Meanwhile works continue to create new sea defences to the south of Southsea Common, with the Esplanade due to remain closed until summer next year.