New development along Portsmouth’s western corridor at Tipner West is being proposed on land to be reclaimed from the sea. The M275 already creates significant barriers that sever outlying communities from central Portsmouth, blights the city’s western entrance and damages the adjacent urban environment. This new development, located on a spur peninsular to the M275’s west, will always deliver an isolated community.

This ‘M275 Portsmouth, Tipner West, Cosham + Paulsgrove: strategic planning + infrastructure review‘ by Walter Menteth explores and evaluates the M275 and proposes its re classification into an ‘A’ road, its adaptive reuse and progressive modification. This enables enough land to be released to meet projected needs, without further reclamation, and allows Portsmouth’s expansion to be more accessible, sustainable and resilient, with outputs offering better quality and higher value.

Currently proposed investment, eg. in the 25ha. of land reclamation at risk from sea level rise and a new c. £36m bridge, then becomes unnecessary, enabling better use of these resources. Adaptive re-use of the urban infrastructure and engaging more widely with all the city’s issues and assets can better unlock much needed housing sites, improve urban connectivity, mixed modal transport, accessibility and amenity that delivers better, more resilient and sustainable communities.