Tipner East - Transforming iconic Harry Pounds scrapyard

Words and images courtesy of Kelly Brown, Portsmouth News

Great strides are being made on a huge project to transform a gateway entrance into the city into hundreds of homes and community facilities - as well as create new sea defences and ecological sites.

Housing association VIVID has been making great strides developing the well-known brownfield site of Tipner East, once home to the iconic submarines in the Harry Pounds Scrapyard - later known as the John Pounds Scrapyard or simply Pounds Yard. Remediation and decontamination of the land is almost complete, with preparations beginning for the next stage of work due to begin this autumn.

It is expected to take around five years to build the 835 new homes ranging from two to ten-storey high, with around 250 of them allocated for affordable housing to rent and buy. The project is part of the government’s City Deal using government cash, with strong partnerships in place between Portsmouth City Council and Homes England also in place with VIVID to bring about the project.

PMC has been on site at the new waterfront development, known as Victory Quay, for some time now preparing the site ahead of the main construction work which will begin with the creation of new sea defences which will largely match the aesthetic of those already created along Hilsea Lines.

During this preparatory work the iconic scrapyard site had many surprises unearthed, including over 20 buried historical barges and their contents along the foreshore, hidden under the earth for many years.

Every part of the Victory Quay plan considers sustainability, ecology and the landscape, including protecting the coastal birds with the creation of a bespoke conservation area to provide enhanced opportunities loafing and foraging.

There will also be a new extended cycleway and coastal path linking the site with with side, with 1,612 cycle spaces available as part of the strategy of the site to reduce the need for a car and boost the use of public and green transport options.

Whilst work is under construction, it is being phased and timed in such a way to minimise noise, vibration, and human disturbance. Similarly, during construction, disruption to local residents will continue to be minimised as far as possible with site traffic is being routed via a site entrance off the M275 to avoid residential streets. Once construction work is complete this roadway will then then be sealed.

Tristan Samuels, Group Development & new business director of VIVID, said: “We’re pleased that the next stage in the development of Victory Quay is about to begin with preparations for the sea wall works now underway, ensuring that we play our part in protecting current and future residents from flood risk. It’s important to pause and reflect on the remediation and decontamination work carried out to date, which has been significant."

Over the past 12 months we have pumped and treated on-site over five million litres of contaminated groundwater, enough to fill two Olympic sized swimming pools, and the installation of the new defences also includes carbon filters protecting the Solent from further pollutants and doing our part to improve water quality.

“We’re acutely aware of the ecological importance of the site and our role in protecting and enhancing existing habitats and once completed it will be a haven for wildlife to thrive and impact on biodiversity mitigated.” 

Watch the video embedded in this story to see aerial footage from the site and interviews explaining the work being carried out.

As the development continues, VIVID will be keeping the local community up to date on the progress in a variety of ways. The latest information can be found on the Victory Quay website page.