North Portsea Coastal scheme asks Portsmouth residents to help name its new "bird island"

As part of The North Portsea Coastal Scheme, Portsmouth City Council has built an offshore high tide roosting site for overwintering birds. This is located alongside Portsmouth’s coastline near Eastern Road.

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“Bird Island” was created as one of the scheme’s environmental initiatives. It ensures that birds can roost undisturbed but can still be admired and viewed by the local people.

They are requesting that the local people submit names for the island, as the current name is ‘bird island’ and they want to improve this.

Project manager for the North Portsea Scheme said “This bird island is a very important initiative in our coastal defence scheme. We hope to come up with a name to reflect the local area so are asking Portsmouth residents to get creative. We'd love to see you draw inspiration from the environment around Langstone Harbour, the history of Portsmouth or personal experience.”

The island was constructed from materials taken from the old sea wall, which as been covered in rock and shingle. This mimics a natural and organic looking island for the birds.

According to some estimates, sea levels are set to rise by a metre over the next 100 years, increasing the risk of floods, therefore making this new defence more vital for Portsmouth.

This new defence will reduce the risk of flooding and damage to over 4,200 homes, 500 businesses and important infrastructure on Eastern Road – in addition to protecting the local wildlife.

Entries are open to all Portsmouth residents and those with a link to Portsmouth (under 16s with their parents' permission) until August 12 2023. Visit Coastal defence management - Portsmouth City Council or email npcs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to enter.