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Your North Portsea Scheme update
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Month, Year
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The team are busy clearing the western section of Ports Creek, near the car park, as we get ready to open parts of the scheme to visitors. We'll have more on that in our next update.
This part of the entrance will be...drum roll please...Breedon gravel! They're just laying the type one base at the moment, before finishing with the final surface.
As we've told you before, the vast majority of work across the site is now complete. However, there is still a section near the bridge at Peronne Road where SSE are carrying out their own works. We won't be able to finish our part of the scheme in that area until they've completed theirs.
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The team are also busy making the site safe by clearing fallen trees and removing any that have died or become unsafe. While nobody likes to see trees removed, this is an important part of managing the site. It helps prevent branches from falling and keeps paths and open spaces safe for visitors, while allowing healthy trees and vegetation to thrive.
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In the last edition we told you we needed rain, and as you'll know, we certainly got it! While not everyone enjoys the wet weather, it's been great news for the scheme. We told you last time that grass seed had been laid in this area around the new benches and, as you can see, it's starting to do exactly what we'd hoped. Little green shoots are beginning to appear, helping the area take shape ahead of opening.
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Speaking of rain, if you know this area well you'll know that heavy rainfall often leads to puddles and muddy patches because of the large amount of clay in the ground. To help manage this, we've installed natural drainage features throughout the woodland, and the path has been designed with a very gentle slope to help water drain away. This means no standing water, no flooding and no boggy sections - just a clear path that's much easier to enjoy, whatever the weather.
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This section is also being prepared for opening. Until recently it was fenced off as a reptile enclosure. Before work began on site specialists carefully searched the area for reptiles and moved them into a safe enclosure to protect them while construction took place nearby. Now that the work is largely complete, the enclosure has been removed and the area cleared, helping prepare it for visitors to enjoy.
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Here we have a beautiful family of swans, making themselves at home on the water and waiting to greet future visitors. You can spot them now by walking along the south side of Foxes Forest, but before long you'll also be able to sit on the new benches and enjoy watching the wildlife from a whole new viewpoint. Fun fact - mute swans have special salt glands near their eyes that help them remove excess salt from their bodies. This means they can drink brackish or even seawater if they need to, although they generally prefer freshwater habitats.
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And just up the road from the scheme is Portsmouth International Port, the UK's most successful local authority-owned port, generating an estimated £10.8 million each year for the city through cruise visitor spending! This year our port has been shortlisted for the 'Favourite Cruise Port' category in the 2026 Wave Awards, and we'd love your support. You'll need to vote in all categories before submitting your entry, but it's free and only takes a couple of minutes. Voting closes on 30 September 2026, with the winners announced on 24 November 2026.
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