Wildlife charity opposes revisiting marine hub plan
HIWWTA wildlife charity has criticised the government's decision to revisit proposals for a major marine employment hub and 800 homes.
Portsmouth City Council's Tipner West plans were rejected by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner earlier this year.
Located on the north-west edge of Portsea Island, Tipner West is a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The council said the deputy prime minister had withdrawn her previous opinion, and would now reconsider the decision.
The original rejection was hailed by conservation groups, including the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who stressed the site's ecological importance.
The charities previously launched a petition against the plans, which gained more than 25,000 signatures.
It is understood that Portsmouth City Council intends to revise the project once it has clearer guidance on what Rayner, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, would consider acceptable.
Debbie Tann, HIWWT's chief executive, said the original refusal was "sound" and expressed hope that the government's review would "simply clarify their reasoning for that decision".
She criticised the "back and forth" as "frankly a waste of time" and does little but provide "uncertainty and delay on the future of this important site".
She urged the council to "keep their word" to bring forward a revised scheme with "a different balance to overcome environmental concerns".
In a letter to Rayner, the council's leader Steve Pitt expressed deep disappointment over the earlier decision.
He said that had been an "ill-considered" and "unlawful" decision and urged the government to engage promptly so the site could be included in Portsmouth's local plan.
Pitt warned that without development to fund essential new sea defences "the site and surrounding areas will flood and contamination will wash into the sea, destroying both people and nature".
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