Victorian seaside resort DOUBLES size of beach using a million tonnes of shingle in £185m promenade makeover
A VICTORIAN seaside spot has doubled in size thanks to a £185 million promenade makeover.
The beachfront has now reopened to visitors after six months of work.
Southsea beach in Portsmouth is undergoing a huge redevelopment as work continues to increase the beach’s size and improve the promenade flood defences.
The Southsea Coastal Scheme is a £185 million project that was introduced to help reduce the risk of flooding to thousands of homes and local businesses.
Its planned defences will stretch along a 2.7 mile section of the seafront and is the UK’s biggest local authority-led coastal defences project.
The beach widening work, which covered the stretch between the Pyramid Centre and the Coffee Cup café began in October last year and was completed by March 2026.
Increasing the beach’s width was achieved using shingle dredged from a nearby strait close to the Isle of Wight, with one million tonnes of shingle deposited on the beach using a pipeline from the dredger.
Widening the beach improves the area’s flood defences as the larger beach can now absorb more wave energy and will better defend the coastline.
While this process was underway, access to the beach was limited for safety reasons and certain sections were closed to the public, reopening section-by-section as work was completed.
Speaking on the decision to expand the beach, Southsea Coastal Scheme project executive, Marc Bryan, said: “We’ve chosen to build a larger shingle beach in this area because they’re great at absorbing wave energy which in turn helps reduce erosion and protects homes and businesses from coastal flooding.
“The new beach will adapt to rising seas and our changing climate while still providing the required standard of protection.
“It will be easily maintained and can be topped up if needed in the future.”
Other work that forms part of the scheme has already been completed including the demolition and creation of a new seawall around Long Curtain Moat.
Two new bridges were also built nearby and the promenade was made higher and wider with additional seating.
Rocks were imported to create new sea defences around Southsea Castle and improvements have been made to part of the promenade between Pyramids and Speaker’s corner, including new terraces, seating and play areas.
Currently, construction work is underway between South Parade Pier and Speaker’s Corner creating a new-look promenade and improving the defences.
Large precast concrete blocks have been installed onto 75 units on the sea frontage, cleverly disguised as tiered planters and seating.
The promenade level is also in the process of being raised using a mix of crushed stone and crushed concrete from the previous promenade.
When complete, the new promenade area will match the existing seafront paving.
Construction is expected to continue till May 2027, and while the work is underway, certain areas of the beachfront will be closed, however many local businesses will remain open.
The entire coastal defence scheme is expected to be completed by 2029.
The beach, made up of a mix of shingle and sand, has been a popular tourist destination since the 19th century and is located just a mile south of Portsmouth city centre.
Named after the nearby Southsea Castle, the beach first welcomed its South Parade Pier in 1879, originally the site of a passenger steamer service for travellers heading to the Isle of Wight.
The seafront has been described by visitors as “a little gem” on the South East coast, with a “wonderful” promenade full of shops and cafes.