Charities fears bird population will be under threat if housing plans in Portsmouth go ahead

Video report by ITV News Meridian's Sally Simmonds

The RSPB and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust say the local bird population in Portsmouth will be under threat if a major development goes ahead.

Three thousand homes and a maritime hub are planned on Tipner West in Portsmouth Harbour. 

The charities says a protected area the size of over 50 football pitches would be destroyed.

Tony Whitehead from the RSPB said: "The Solent in Portsmouth is a nationally and internationally important place for a whole range of bird life; and particularly in the winter.

"You get thousands and thousands of migratory birds coming down from the far north and they're looking for warmer places. And they choose Portsmouth as one of those places along the south coast."

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and the RSPB are running a joint campaign to stop the development.

Portsmouth City Council says the regeneration is needed to provide more housing and will boost the local economy.

It claims there is no 'wriggle room' from the government, with a target of 17,000 houses over the next 15 years.

Cllr Hugh Mason, Portsmouth City Council, said: "We've tried to push them back on it, we've asked them, they've given reasons and they won't, those homes have got to go somewhere, there are problems with Tipner; doing nothing also has its own problems."