Plans to transform derelict land in Tipner, Portsmouth, with new homes, jobs and green space took a massive step forward.

Members of Portsmouth City Council's planning committee unanimously approved proposals to clean up and regenerate derelict land around the former greyhound stadium. They approved three planning applications for the area, giving the go-ahead for much-needed new homes and allowing the sites to be prepared for development.

The committee's decision is the second recent boost for the plan to transform Tipner into an attractive, modern gateway to the city. Last week the government announced almost £20m of funding for a council project to build a new junction for Tipner off the M275 motorway, along with a park-and-ride scheme.

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The planning applications concern sites in the east of Tipner, and were submitted by the three major landowners in the area – the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the Tipner Regeneration Company (TRC) and the council.

Two planning applications, to build shops and 80 new homes on the former PD Fuels site and prepare the site and three other plots for development, were made by the council and the HCA. Of the 80 new homes, 30% would be classed as affordable. Work on cleaning up the land is expected to start early next year.

After local consultation, the clean-up plans submitted by the council and the HCA were changed so there would be less disturbance for residents. There will now be far fewer lorry journeys, and the method for cleaning contaminated soil has changed, The clean-up techniques to be used now are 'bioremediation', which uses natural micro-organisms or their enzymes, and ‘soil washing’, a technique that separates and cleans contaminated soil, enabling it to be re-used.

The TRC submitted an application for cleaning up a site which includes the greyhound stadium and building up to 518 homes.

(CD)