1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Portsmouth
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Horsea Island Country park
Short description of the intervention
The former Paulsgrove landfill is being developed into the Horsea Island Country Park to address the deficit of public open space for Portsmouth’s residents (3). The council plans to put in place a number of initiatives to make sure the country park is a recreational facility and attracts a diverse range of wildlife. This is being progressed through the PUSH Green Infrastructure Implementation Plan. (1). Veolia, the company that operated the landfill site on Horsea Island has the responsibility for implementing the landscape proposals which include tree planting, grass areas, wildflower meadows, footpaths and cycle routes. (2).
Address

Portsmouth
United Kingdom

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (-1.087018 50.832787)
POINT (-1.099014 50.837291)
POINT (-1.092601 50.839735)
POINT (-1.088069 50.839176)
POINT (-1.085775 50.837221)
POINT (-1.085719 50.834708)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
http://posol.co.uk/archives/2610
Total area
520000.00m²
NBS area
520000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2016
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
in planning stage
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
-The project intends to create an informal country park to overcome the deficit of public open space for Portsmouth’s residents by: (ref 3)
- the planting of trees;
- creation of a cycle route and pathways;
- new grass areas and wildflower meadows.
Quantitative targets
- Reclaim 52 hectares of landfill and transform it into a public open space (6)
- Planting of 50,000 trees and shrubs, as part of the Woodland Trust’s on-going project to mark the Queen’s 60th jubilee (2)
Monitoring indicators defined
unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Soil quality improvement
Waste management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Conversion of former industrial areas
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Implementation activities
- Constant environmental monitoring is carried out to ensure that the area is safe to open for visitors (7)
- Initial ground works and clearance of the area (7)
- Plantation of 50,000 trees (2)
- Creation of a cycle route and pathways (1, 2)
- Plantation of a new grass areas and wild flower meadows (1)
- Habitat improvements for species improvements (including a wader and Brent goose refuge.) (1)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Transformation of previously derelict areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Green playgrounds and school grounds
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Vegetation Type
Grass
Shrubs
Trees
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
50,000
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Playgrounds
Educational or biodiversity trails
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Tourism
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Veolia, the company that operated the landfill site on Horsea Island, has the responsibility for implementing the landscape proposals (5) Portsmouth City Council has approved the plans from Veolia, carries out the environmental monitoring, and has responsibility for tree planting, grass areas, wildflower meadows, footpaths and cycle routes. (2)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Other
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Other
Please specify other land owner
Veolia holds the lease for the land but no information was found about the owner of the land (7)
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Dissemination of information and education
Please specify other landowner
Veolia holds the lease for the land but no information was found about the owner of the land (7)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
To meet the Natural England's Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard (3)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
PUSH (Partnership for Urban South Hampshire) Green Infrastructure Strategy (3)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Spatial planning law
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Portsmouth’s Parks and Open Spaces Action Plan - to meet Objective 1 – Portsmouth’s accessible green space quantity standard (3,6)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
It is also one of 60 diamond woods being created across the UK as part of the Woodland Trust's on-going project to mark the Queen's 60th jubilee (2)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Please specify other vegetation type
wildflower meadows (2)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The costs were covered from the 50m City Deal to enhance Portsmouth, however, information on the total costs of the project itself wasn't found (7)
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Corporate investment
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Type of innovation
Technological
Infrastructural innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Former rubbish tip will be transformed to new green space with landscape plans to create a country park (ref 5)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
Water management and blue areas
Increased protection against flooding
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
Increased number of species present
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
As of November 2020, the Horsea Island Country Park has not been completed and opened to the public, therefore, only expected impacts can be listed:
- Port Solent & Horsea Island will be expected to provide flood risk management measures for a 1 in the 1000 year flood event and demonstrate the site will be safe over the lifetime of the development. (1)
- With the transformation of a former landfill into a 52-hectare country park, the green space of the Portsmouth urban area has significantly increased (2,5,6)
- With the plantation of 50,000 trees and shrubs including a diverse set of native species, the new habitat will be created for wildlife (5,6)
- Flower meadows would also provide new habitat and support the re-population of the area with native animal species (2,5,6)
Economic impacts
More sustainable tourism
Description of economic benefits
As of November 2020, the Horsea Island Country Park has not been completed and opened to the public, therefore, only expected impacts can be listed
- The country park is expected to be an attractive touristic point within the city with its diverse vegetation and recreational opportunities as well as with the view to the Portsmouth harbour (7)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Description of social and cultural benefits
As of November 2020, the Horsea Island Country Park has not been completed and opened to the public, therefore, only expected impacts can be listed:
- With the new country park, the city can overcome the deficit of public open space for Portsmouth’s residents. (3)
- The park will offer numerous recreational opportunities such as cycle trails, footpaths, picnic areas and stunning views across Portsmouth harbour (7)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of November 2020
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Not applicable
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
portsmouth news link
About my area News link
List of references
1. Slater, J. (2012). The Portsmouth Plan - Portsmouth's Core Strategy. Portsmouth City Council. Website not available
2. UKNIP 247. (2016). Horsea Island Country park plans move a step closer. Accessed on November 13, 2020, http://uknip.co.uk/2016/03/horsea-island-country-park-plans-move-a-step-closer/
3. Portsmouth City Council. (2012). Parks and Open Spaces Strategy 2012-2022.Website not available
4. Pilmoor, E. (2013). Children mark start of country park for Portsmouth. Website not available
5. AboutMyAreaNews. (2016. Country Park Plans For Tip Move a Step Closer. Accessed on Novermber 13, 2020, http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/298026-Country-Park-Plans-For-Tip-Move-a-Step-Closer
6. Portsmouth City Council. (2012). Parks and Open Spaces Strategy 2012-2022. Accessed on November 13, 2020, https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/doc-park-strategy-20-21.pdf
7. The Portsmouth News. (2018). Portsmouth's new country park will be 'the gem in the city's crown'. Accessed on November 13, 2020, https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/portsmouths-new-country-park-will-be-gem-citys-crown-1005471
8. TeamLocals. (n.d). Portsmouth's New Country Park With Over 50,000 Trees Underway. Accessed November 13, 2020, https://www.teamlocals.co.uk/news/portsmouths-new-country-park-with-over-50000-trees-underway
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/pt-horsea.jpg
Public Images
Horsea Island Country Park
Horsea Island Country Park
Leigh Edwards (2014). Retrieved 08/10/2018
Horsea Island Country Park
Horsea Island Country Park
Leigh Edwards (2014), retrieved 08/10/2018
Horsea Island Country Park
Source: https://www.teamlocals.co.uk/news/portsmouths-new-country-park-with-over-50000-trees-underway
Horsea Island Country Park
Source: https://uknip.co.uk/portsmouth/news-24189/horsea-island-country-park-plans-move-a-step-closer/
Horsea Island Country Park
Source: https://www.teamlocals.co.uk/news/portsmouths-new-country-park-with-over-50000-trees-underway
Horsea Island Country Park
Source: http://posol.co.uk/archives/2610