A huge transformation is creating new sea defences, paths and a wildlife haven at Ports Creek - in pictures

Work is being carried out on around 1.3km of Ports Creek where a new embankment, new paths and new wildlife areas are being created as part of the vital sea defence works which have been ongoing across the city.

The entire £87.5m scheme, funded by the government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid, started in 2015 at Anchorage Park covering 8.4km of coastline in total, with sections around Tipner Lake/Hilsea Lines, Eastern Road and Milton Common already completed. It provides a one in 500 year standard of protection to over 4,200 homes, 500 businesses, two key roads on and off Portsea Island, as well as more than 2km of the only railway line on and off the island.

This latest phase at Ports Creek in Hilsea is the fifth and final phase of the project and covers the area from the Portsbridge roundabout car park to the railway bridge, where it ties in with the previously completed Phase One at Anchorage Park.

Here, the old footpath and sea wall on the south side of the Creek is being transformed thanks to the creation of a new taller embankment raised by an average of around one and a half metres, with a new rock revetment at the bottom and reinforced grass on the slope.

A new path will go across the top of the embankment on either side of the bridge off Peronne Road, snaking underneath the bridge to link up with the existing footpaths, and also linking up to the footpaths towards Anchorage Park at the railway line as well as the underpass linking to Highbury Grove in Cosham.

When finished, the whole area will have a natural and environmentally-friendly feel to it, with new planting and wildlife habitats included which will ensure it ties in to the feel of Foxes Forest which runs parallel to the site.

Around 70k tonnes of material, including rock, earth embankment fill and gravel for paths has been delivered to the site to create the embankment and footpaths, and around 15k tonnes of material has been reused at the site - including the old sea wall material which was broken out and crushed and reused within the core of the embankment.

Topsoil which was originally on site has also been scraped off, sieved to remove any detritus, and re-used on the embankment, and material from vegetation clearance was chipped and logged, to be used for mulching for the new native shrub.

New wildlife areas are being created, and the Coastal Scheme team have captured around 90 reptiles during a ‘reptile relocation mission’ in summer 2024 where they were moved to a safe place during the works. These were mostly slow worms and a few common lizards.

Bats are also being encouraged into the area, a pair of Kingfishers are also now a regular sight in the area, and log piles and rotting wood features have been created to benefit protected species such as the reptiles and stag beetles.

An area of shrubbery has been removed as part of the scheme as well as a small number of trees, but these are being replaced with a far greater number of native and ecologically valuable species.

Alongside the sea defence works, dredging work is also taking place at neighbouring Hilsea Moat to clear and realign it in the areas where it has become overgrown, and a some of the formal platform areas also also being repaired - with picnic areas also being created and reinstated. It is also hoped that a woodland trail can be created, similar to the Gruffalo trail which can be found in other parts of the county, with the scheme keen to work with artists to create this.

The last of the works will take place next to the Peronne Road bridge as SSE need to carry out works on its cabling before the embankment can be created - leaving a unique view of the old verses the new as the old sea wall and footpath can still be seen in that area.

It is hoped that some sections of the footpath can be useable early next year, with the full scheme currently planned to be completed by summer 2026.

Amy Conway, our project delivery manager from Coastal Partners said: “We are looking forward to the completion of this public space.

“We are continuing to improve the costal path which was very informal before. We are building a similar path to what has been built at Eastern Road which is a reed and gravel track and widen access along the whole region.”

To hear more from Amy about the scheme, watch the video embedded in this story

• New section is 1.3km long, with the entire project for the north of the city covering 8.4km
• The cost is around £87.5m and is funded by central government
• Around 70k tonnes of material has been delivered to the site via 4,000 deliveries to the Portsbridge Car Park compound
• Around 90 reptiles were captured and are hibernating
• 15 larger specimen trees (4.5m tall), including plum, ornamental cherry, and apple are being planted or preserved
• 6,984 native trees, such as field maple, common alder, and hazel are being planted or being preserved
• 1,483 native shrubs, including sea buckthorn, dog rose, and sweet briar are being planed or preserved
• 12,636 saltmarsh plants are being added on the foreshore
• The scheme will protect to the north of Portsea island for the next 100 years
• Work began in 2024 and is due for completion by Summer 2026