Generation Green™Final Feasibility Report – Eastney Lake &

Surrounding Area

April 2015

Generation Green™

Executive Summary

Generation Green™ have been appointed by Hampshire County Council to produce a Feasibility Study of a proposed development at Eastney Lake, Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth. The study analyses the current land and water features at the Harbour before proposing a recommended development project. A justification of the demand of the future development is given, constraints to the development are considered and the report finishes with an evaluation of potential conflicts.

In this report, Generation Green™ have produced a clear vision for the future development and are confident that the suggested proposal will act as a catalyst for the local area and provide the people of Eastney with something to be proud of.

There are two aspects to the proposed plan; the development of an eco-friendly education/community centre and the extension of the current Portsmouth Park & Ride/Brompton Bike Hire service.

Alternative options such as a marina extension and a single-use facility have been considered however it is felt that these developments do not provide the benefits that are offered by our suggested project.

If these two proposals succeed as expected, further developments have been considered to cement the re-emergence of the Eastney area. A partnership with Southsea Marina will be introduced, providing the finance for the development of a family-friendly pub which will be open to the public. Education boat tours hosted by the University will be introduced and an outdoor recreational shop will be built.

1) Analyse the land and water features and advise on the construction difficulties

Location:

Eastney Lake is situated in the south-west corner of Langstone Harbour and is located to the west of Portsea Island and east of Hayling Island. Notable landmarks including Gunwharf Quays and the Historical Dockyard are located on the opposite, eastern coast of Portsmouth (Figure 1), while Fort Cumberland, a site II listed building by Natural England, is positioned several hundred metres to the south of the lake. There are public allotments situated to the immediate west of the lake and the privately-owned Southsea Marina is located in the south of the lake and will be discussed in greater detail shortly (Figure 2).

Figure 1 – Zoomed out map of Portsmouth and Eastney Lake (Google Maps, 2015)

1 – Eastney Lake

2 – Gunwharf Quays

3 – Historic Dockyard

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Tides/Mud:

At high tide, much of Eastney Lake and Langstone Harbour is covered in water as expected. However, at low tide a large amount of mud is exposed to both the lake and the harbour. This mud is a rich resource for the ecosystem and provides food and habitats for a number of important species including the Nematode worm and Brent goose for example.

Existing Structures:

Premier Marinas currently own the existing Southsea Marina which offers a range of facilities including in water and dry berthing for up to 300 boats. In addition to this, fuel is readily available and pump out facilities are also provided at the Marina along with a host of other provisions (Premier Marinas, 2014).

Figure 2 – Zoomed in map of Eastney Lake (Department of Geography, University of Portsmouth, 2013)

1 – Public allotments

2 – Southsea Marina

3 – Fort Cumberland

Water Access/From Land:

There are two public slipways into Eastney Lake and are most commonly used for launching trailed craft, powerboats or jet skis into the water (Langstone Harbour Management Plan, 1997). Informal access to the shore is available as it can also be reached on foot from local roads and residential property around the lake.

Access To Lake/From Land:

Around the surrounding area of Eastney and Milton it is evident there is insufficient signposting of the Lake and how to access it. There are only two buses that travel all the way down to the end of the peninsula increasing informal access. Around the perimeter of the lake are three car parks; one to the north, one on the peninsula and one closer to Fort Cumberland. These are unsupervised and therefore left untidy and it is argued only adequate at off-peak times.

Potential Types Of Development:

There are several avenues that could be explored when looking into a development in Eastney Lake or the local area. One possible option could be to expand the existing Southsea Marina to offer more water berthing opportunities. An alternative approach could be to develop an in water facility, such as a pier for example, offering amusement to guests in the shape of theatres and fairground rides. A possible third development option could take place away from the water’s edge and be based entirely on land. This includes single use facilities such as a simple hotel or restaurant and multi-use facilities such as shopping, education or leisure complexes that provide a mix of services to the local community. The last development idea is not based on a hard-structured building and is instead centred on improving the accessibility to the lake and the aesthetic appearance and value of the land features that encompass the body of water.

Construction Difficulties:

Each possible development has accompanying difficulties that may hinder progress. Expanding the marina or developing an in water facility could prove challenging due to tidal changes and the environmental importance of the exposed mud. Moreover, previous tipping by the Ministry of Defence of copper, tin and arsenic means that caution must be exercised when developing on or near the shore. Langstone Harbour is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar site. This must be taken into consideration when looking at developments in the lake as it is unclear how other, important areas of the harbour may be indirectly affected. Finally, there is the potential for local opposition to almost all development options, fuelled by possible noise pollution from heavy machinery and congestion from incoming building materials.

2) Recommended project proposal

The proposal recommended by Generation Green primarily involves the development of an eco-friendly educational/community centre at the car park to the west of Fort Cumberland. The facility, built with green infrastructure and materials including solar panels, a green wall and bioMASON bricks places sustainability at the forefront of development. Table 1 highlights the sustainable ideas implemented and their associated benefits.

Sustainable concept Benefits

Solar panels on the roof Generate renewable energy for the building.

Single-sided green wall Offer thermal insulation, habitat creation, filter pollutants, and reduce storm water

runoff.

BioMASON bricks Used instead of traditional materials, reducing the need for energy intensive

production processes.

The centre, which will be accessible to the public at a competitive rate, will provide several services including scientific laboratories, conference rooms, lecture theatres, computer suites, and a coffee lounge for visitors. A partnership will be set up between the centre and the University of Portsmouth, offering students the chance to use the facilities without charge. Similarly, schools on the island will be able to utilise the centre for school trips and exhibitions without charge.

Due to the poor accessibility of Eastney Lake, the second aspect of the development plan looks at extending the current Portsmouth Park and Ride scheme. At present, the scheme only operates buses that travel to the west of Portsmouth (Figure 3).

Table 1 – Sustainable concepts and their benefits

This report recommends that the Park and Ride scheme does not terminate at the Hard Interchange, but instead continues down to Southsea Seafront and continues along the A288. This gives users the opportunity to visit a number of attractions including Clarence Pier, Blue Reef Aquarium, the D-Day Museum, Southsea Castle and Canoe Lake (Figure 4). The suggested new route, with five drop-off and pick-up points, is displayed in Figure 5. The serene Eastney Lake is now just a 15 minute walk away from the final stop, making it easier for a range of visitors to reach it. Portsmouth Park and Ride also offer a Brompton bike hire service where users pay a daily fee in order to use the bike to get around. There are cycle lanes in place on the peninsula, but only footpaths that go around the lake. It is therefore recommended that these tracks become shared cycle and footpaths and that the bikes and bike storage become more available.

Figure 3 – Current route of Portsmouth Park & Ride (Portsmouth City Council, 2015)

3) Provide a justification of the likely demand and investigate the commercial opportunities for the site.

Figure 5 – Extended route proposed for Portsmouth Park & Ride (Google Earth, 2015)

Figure 4 – Illustration of attractions along Southsea seafront (Google Maps, 2015)

While it is argued that marina expansion or re-development could be justified by the 103% occupancy rates in Southsea Marina and the demand for pontoons in Eastney Lake (Langstone Harbour Business Plan, 2012), it is strongly recommended that this development plan is not considered. This is down to potential conflict that could occur due to the Harbour’s commitment to conservation and its desire to keep the Harbour a relatively quiet and un-commercialised area (Langstone Harbour Management Plan, 1997). Furthermore, it has been argued that marinas have yet to make full use of the economic and business opportunities that their recent developments allow (CAMIS & University of Chichester, 2011). The presence of the University of Portsmouth and over 50 primary and secondary schools indicate that there is the demand for a multi-purpose education centre. Furthermore, commercial opportunities from the development will benefit the 2,972 people in Eastney and Craneswater who are classified as economically inactive (Office for National Statistics, 2011). Employment opportunities for local residents at the education centre include administrative positions, computer technicians and bar and waiting staff for the café for example. Income from the education centre will include potential revenue from the café, the corporate hiring of conference and lecture rooms and possible snowball investment in the local area.

The Park and Ride and Brompton Bike Hire expansion project is needed to make Eastney Lake and neighbouring areas more accessible to the public. Furthermore, the extension will benefit the 1,627 households in Eastney and Craneswater that live without a car or van (Office for National Statistics, 2011), making it easier for them to travel across the city. Revenue will be generated by charging cheap fees for both the Park and Ride and Bike Hire and by increasing car parking costs, encouraging guests to use the promoted, environmentally friendly methods of transport.

Importantly, this development does not primarily focus on generating income but is instead centred on sustainable development and the promotion of social cohesion.

4) Consider the likely constraints to development.

The site at which this report suggests developing on has been owned by Portsmouth City Council since 1979 and is designated as a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) due to its importance to wildlife (Portsmouth City Council, 2012). While SINCs are non-statutory, it is expected that local authorities take their protection into consideration when deciding planning and development policies (DEFRA, 2007). Portsmouth City Council Parks Service are responsible for the maintenance of the area and have the intention of increasing the proportion of SINCs in the city (Portsmouth City Council, 2012). This makes getting planning permission more challenging. However, the land in question is already subject to high levels of disturbance and if planning permission were to be granted, there are several other sites around the city that could potentially be given SINC status, meaning there would not be a decrease in the overall number of SINCs.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the process of applying for planning permission. The National Planning Policy Framework 2012 provides a framework within which local councils can produce their own distinctive local plans (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2012). Planning applications in Portsmouth must therefore be submitted to the Local Planning Authority, in this case Portsmouth City Council. They must be in accordance with the ‘development plan’ (Portsmouth City Council, 2012) which includes a variety of policies from a range of frameworks including The South East Plan and the Portsmouth City Local Plan for example. The overarching framework is the Portsmouth Plan (Portsmouth’s Core Strategy), which ensures that sustainable, high quality development is achieved. The plan states that all development must contribute to addressing climate change (Portsmouth City Council, 2012). Non-domestic developments, such as our proposal, must use Low or Zero Carbon (LCZ) technologies to reduce the total carbon emissions from the development. Moreover, developments must maximise solar efficiency and include recycled construction material. This requires our development to meet sustainable design and construction standards. The plan also urges the importance of new developments reflecting the character of the city and acknowledges the difficulties the city faces in accommodating future residential developments. If the latter is prioritised, this could be a setback for our proposal. Furthermore, due to the presence of two local community centres, Eastney and Cockleshell, the Council could question the need for a third centre of this nature in such a localised space. A partnership between the three centres is therefore recommended which will benefit community members and provide them with the best support available.

The risk of flooding presents another potential constraint to development. Figure 7 shows that the development area to the west of Fort Cumberland lies in Flood Zone 2. This means

Figure 6 – Process of applying for planning permission

that the land has between a 1 in 200 and 1 in 1000 annual probability of sea flooding (Environment Agency, 2015). As our development lies in Flood Zone 2, a more detailed flood risk assessment must be undertaken. Included in the assessment should be information about what the flood risks are and how they might change, whether the development will increase flood risk and how flood risk will be managed.

All building features of our recommended development project must meet criteria outlined in both the 1984 Building Act and 2010 Building Regulations. The 1984 Building Act brought about fundamental changes to building regulations, with the main target of improving the overall quality of buildings while the 2010 Building Regulations exist so that the health and safety of people is guaranteed in and around all types of buildings, buildings are accessible to everyone and energy conservation is prioritised. For example, criteria must be met to ensure the structure, ventilation, sanitation and drainage of buildings reaches a sufficient standard. In order to meet these measures, a partnership with the Local Authority Building Control is recommended, a team who promise safe, healthy and efficient buildings that meet building regulations.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a tax that local authorities can choose to charge on new developments. The Levy is in operation in Portsmouth and means our development project could be subject to these charges, slowing down the development and requiring a

Figure 7 – Map highlighting flood zones in east Portsmouth

reassessment of available funds. However, as illustrated by Figure 8, our project would be classified as a ‘Community Uses’ type of development, meaning the development would not be taxed, no matter how many square metres of floor space was developed.

It is likely an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will have to be carried out, a technique used to inform people of potential environmental impacts of major development proposals (Friends of the Earth, 2005). This was implemented in the Town and Country Planning Act of 2011 and most often involves gathering environmental data from the project, predicting the environmental effect and reducing any adverse effects before development consent can be given. This requirement comes directly from the European EIA Directive 2011 and simply intends to protect the environment. There are five stages of an EIA and decisions could take up to 16 weeks. Due to the proximity of the Langstone Harbour and its designation as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Ramsar Site it is possible that a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) will have to be undertaken. This assessment tests the likelihood of a significant effect on the European-protected sites and provides mitigation measures if necessary. All aspects of our development must meet their respective legislative measures. There are also non-legislative obstacles that must be overcome throughout the process of this development. For example, the development site is situated in an out-of-centre location,

Figure 8 – Image displaying Community Infrastructure Levy charge for proposed development

making it more difficult for materials and machinery to get there. In addition, there is always the possibility of local opposition to the development works. This could be due to noise pollution or individuals concerned about environmental protection for example. Depending on the extent of local opposition, this could delay development progress.

5) Identify and evaluate the conflicts that would occur, as a result of the development of the marina, in the harbour as a whole.

If the proposed development were to go ahead, it is possible that there would be conflicts as a result. Conflict may occur before, during or after construction and could occur for a variety of reasons. As mentioned previously in the report, there is the possibility of local opposition to the development. Conflict between the local community and the building developers is therefore a possibility. This could be caused by a potential ‘Not In My Back Yard’ attitude possessed by local homeowners, who feel they could be disrupted by noise pollution and congestion due to large goods vehicles during the construction phase. Local residents could turn to the Council for answers, possibly creating further conflicts and divisions.

Due to the high population density of Portsmouth and need for further development of residential homes, it is possible that conflict between the developers and local Council arises. As development space in the city is running out, there is a chance that the Council would prefer to utilise the land for domestic developments, which goes against the recommendation of this report. As the project will be expensive to fund, it is also possible that the Council could take the viewpoint that there are better value projects that Portsmouth could be spending the money on such as upgrading existing transport links or health services.

When the development is completed there is likely to be an element of frustration and disappointment in those individuals who previously used the car park and/or open space but no longer have that option. Recreational users such as dog walkers who used to roam the open fields to the west of Fort Cumberland will be required to find an alternative green space. Bransbury Park is a short walk away and could provide the answer. As the development proposal is focused around sustainability the removal of the car park will provide individuals with the opportunity to use the more environmentally friendly methods of travel that are being developed as part of the project.

Environmentally conscious individuals that recognize the development site as a haven for wildlife will be displeased at our project proposal and could be a potential cause of conflict. Their desire to keep the open space free of development conflicts with our development proposal and the local Council, should planning permission be granted. Furthermore the removal of a green space will disappoint those who believe this type of land should be protected for the health benefits they provide.

The development of the Café in the education centre could also result in a loss of customers for Bombay Bay, the Indian restaurant located in Southsea Marina, although it must be noted these two establishments serve distinctly different products, hopefully meaning minimal conflict.

There is also the potential for conflict to arise between English Heritage and the Council due to the proximity of Fort Cumberland and the removal of what is essentially their car park. This report recommends that the education centre works together with English Heritage and the Fort to produce an informative museum-styled room in the centre.

There could also be conflict between the elderly residents of Eastney and the Council, who could question the necessity and need for such a development in their local area. With 1003 residents aged between 65 and 74 (Office for National Statistics, 2011) it is plausible that the expected daily influx of students could disrupt the ability of elderly residents to live their regular lives.

Current Headmasters of schools in Portsmouth could also question why investment in existing schools has not been chosen and the development of a completely new education facility has. They could argue that the money would be better spent on improving facilities at a range of existing schools as opposed to the development of a brand new building.

After the track around Eastney Lake has been developed into both a cycle and walking path conflict could easily arise between these two groups of recreational users. Although this is a concern, the development should allow for enough space for both users to safely use the path.

The Atkins Report (2004) defines Integrated Coastal Zone Management as ‘‘a process that seeks to join up the different policies that have an effect on the coast whilst bringing together stakeholders to inform, support and implement these policies’’. While our development does not impact directly on the coast it is potentially impacted indirectly. This approach must therefore be adopted to ensure that potential building constraints and conflicts are minimised.