November 2018
The southern section of the coastal path at the Tipner Lake, between the Mountbatten Centre and Horsea Lane allotments, has reopened. This means that pedestrians and cyclists are now able to access the route in this area and enjoy the features that have been added, such as places to sit, new viewpoints across the lake and even a bird hide!
Landscaping will continue alongside the path over the coming weeks, so we’d really appreciate it if you can avoid newly planted areas so we can allow the grass and other planting to establish itself. Contractors working on our behalf will also be working to connect the new permanent lighting columns in the area over the winter period.
What’s next at Tipner Lake?
Construction has now paused, so that we do not disturb the birds who migrate to the lake for the winter. Work in the northern section of the scheme will recommence in April 2019 and is expected to be complete and re-opened to public in late summer 2019.
Until then, a diversion will be in place at the end of the southern section back to Northern Parade whilst construction work continues. Hilsea Lido, Blue Lagoon, South Coast Wakepark and the children’s playground remain open as usual. We appreciate your patience as we enter the final stretch of this major construction project.
October 2018
Thank you to those who have told us about the drainage issues down at Alexandra Park. We are aware of the problem and new drainage will be installed in the spring which will help to fix the problem. We can't start work any earlier as there are currently restrictions on construction work, due to the birds who spend the winter season in the area. As always, we thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
September 2018
The project is now in its 74th week and we are pleased to update you with our progress:
Construction of the sea wall continues, covering 100m of bases and 80m of encasement walls in the last month. Significant development has been made by Hilsea Lido with the Northern Slipway providing access to the harbour as well as the Southern Slipway by Spinnaker Drive.
Earthworks have progressed significantly by the Mountbatten Centre and Alexandra Park. Soil has been placed and compacted ready for the finished level tarmac to be installed.
Lamppost columns and textured floor slabs are key features which have been installed by Mountbatten car park.
Temporary sheet pilling up to the allotment have been removed and foreshore material has been gradually drawn back. Restoring foreshore material to its original state.
Timber cladding has been installed on the terrace seating as seen in the photo below.
Knights Brown have created this wonderful YouTube video displaying all the work completed up until now.
Video link - https://youtu.be/P5Wq5LfEBgk
August 2018
The project is now in its 68th week and we are pleased to update you with our progress.
As works progress more activity will be seen in the north by Hilsea Lido, with sheet pilling, excavation and instalment of stepped revetment taking place. As school holidays have started and the great weather is set to continue we understand the leisure facilities in this area will be busy, therefore we intend to keep both noise and dust to a minimum to avoid any disturbance.
Reinforced Concrete work has continued to progress efficiently with work reaching as far as the Hilsea Lines. This marks almost 400m of wall completed in the northern section since the start of the works in April. Another key development is the construction of the replacement northern slipway. This is moving along in conjunction with the three access steps in the southern section.
Significant progress has been made in the south with car park alignment, raising of ground level and development of social areas.
Road Sweeping
The warmer weather has resulted in dry conditions which are being dealt with by constant dust suppression from multiple vehicles dampening down the haul routes. The monitoring of the public roads will continue and cleaned as and when it is needed.
Site Working Hours
Although weekday working hours are permissible 7am – 11pm, our current core working hours are between 7am and 7pm. For the next few months works will also take place on Saturdays from 7am – 3pm. Occasional concrete finishing works will take place until early hours, but no noisy activities are permitted during this time. These works are being supervised accordingly to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
July 2018
The project is now in its 64th week and we are pleased to update you with our progress:
Site Works
Significant progress has been made with the wall construction, focused adjacent to the allotments, this includes 300m of bases and 80m of wall. To the south, the predominant work taking place, is levelling and compacting the sub-bases to form the foundations for what will be the shared foot and cycle path. Amongst this there are two key social spots, the tiered seating with a view of Porchester castle and the “Welcome to Tipner”, are well underway. Large sections of wall construction have been finalised, marked by the foreshore material being returned to its natural state against the sea wall.
Nesting Swans
The signets hatched towards the end of May and have now vacated the nest, allowing works to recommence without the risk of disturbing a protected species. The nesting period was later, than typical, due to the cold spells experienced in Spring.
Road Sweeping
The warmer weather has resulted in dry conditions which are being dealt with by constant dust suppression from multiple vehicles dampening down the haul routes. The monitoring of the public roads will continue and cleaned as and when it is needed.
Site Working Hours
Although weekday working hours are permissible 7am – 11pm, our current core working hours are between 7am and 7pm. For the next few months works will also take place on Saturdays from 7am – 3pm. These works are being supervised accordingly to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
June 2018
Site Works
The work on site has progressed very well in the last month. Concrete pouring has begun for the bases of the encasement wall between Spinnaker Drive and Hilsea Lido. This is a 3 step process – the first concrete pour is called ‘blinding’ and this levels the excavation; the second is the first structural concrete pour to form the base of the wall; the third is the wall section.
The concrete work is continuing along the Alexandra Park frontage with only a handful of gaps to be closed.
Site Working Hours
Although working hours are permissible 7am – 11pm, current core working hours are between 7am and 7pm. These works are being supervised accordingly to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
Landscaping
The hard landscaping work has started. So far, we have raised land in some areas and poured the foundations for the tiered seating area. When it is completed this will provide a lovely view across the lake, under the M275 bridge, to Portchester Castle.
Road Sweeping
The warmer weather has resulted in dry conditions which are being dealt with by constant dust suppression from multiple vehicles dampening down the haul routes. The monitoring of the public roads will continue and cleaned as and when it is needed.
February 2018
The ongoing winter working period has yielded great success, with over 260m of wall, 400m of base and the new Lower Wade Way slipway being constructed. With the wall coming together, it can now be viewed while crossing the Western entrance to Portsmouth via the M275. In March, the work will extend to the Northern frontage, between Spinnaker Drive and the Lido, which will be closed off to the Public until the completion date in Autumn 2019.
Despite some heavy rainfalls we have been staying ahead of the mud through regular road sweeping and by laying down bark in the more desperate spots of Alexandra Park.
During the winter months, an ornithologist has been monitoring the over wintering birds to ensure that the works are not affecting their annual feeding habits. To date, only good news has been reported with regular sightings of over 300 Brent geese a day. As well as Black-tailed Godwits which have been tracked all the way from Iceland.