Arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth – Wednesday 16th August

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August 18, 2017

Arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth – Wednesday 16th August

The Royal Navy has announced its new Queen Elizabeth Carrier will be arriving in Portsmouth Harbour for the first time at approximately 7.10am on Wednesday, 16 August 2017.

It is the most powerful ship ever built for the Royal Navy and will will also be a key asset for NATO, so the eyes of the world will be on the area.

The carrier’s presence will provide a significant economic boost to the area with local businesses set to benefit from a variety of opportunities to support and maintain the ongoing running of the ship and its crew.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to come to see the 65,000-tonne carrier as it arrives. Having so many extra people coming into Gosport will cause significant disruption.

We want you to have all the information you need to be able to enjoy the occasion, whether you’re going to see the carrier or trying to go about your normal day in Gosport, so we’ll be adding more information to this page as we get more details on the arrival date and what impact it will have.

Anyone thinking of visiting Portsmouth to view the arrival can find the information they’ll need on Portsmouth City Council’s dedicated carrier arrival page.

Transport

The whole borough will be busier than usual so if you need to travel around leave plenty of time.

We’re expecting disruption with a lot more cars on the roads and we’d encourage people to travel by public transport, cycle or walk wherever possible.

For the latest updates on the roads check out Hampshire County Council’s Romanse Twitter feed.

Park & ride:

We will be putting on a park and ride scheme from Stokes Bay fields (off Stoke Bay Road) to the bus station in the town centre. This will be open from 5am until midday on Wednesday, and the cost per vehicle is £5.00.

Parking:As we have limited car parking in the town centre, we are opening Walpole Park north and south fields for car parking and this will open at 5.30am until midday and to cost per vehicle is £3.00. The entrance to the site will be on South Street.

Ferries:

There will disruption to the Gosport Ferry as the harbour will be closed to all boats while the carrier comes in. The closures will be kept as short as possible.

Commuters between Portsmouth and Gosport are likely to be disrupted, where possible people may want to look at options for adjusting their working hours or working from home if possible.

Information on changes to the service will be posted on the Gosport Ferry’s website.

Buses:

Bus services will be running as usual across Gosport. Dedicated bus lanes mean buses will often be faster than travelling by car on days with high levels of traffic.

For the latest information on bus information check out My Journey Hampshire or First Bus.

Cycling and walking:

Gosport is a relatively flat, compact town making it perfect to travel on foot or bike. If you live in the Borough please think about whether you can make your journey on foot or by bike so you don’t get caught in any travel disruption.

Road closures

We are not currently planning any road closures within Gosport, but a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order will be placed on Haslar Road by the highway authority (Hampshire County Council) to stop all parking of vehicles from 4am until 12.30pm

Water and airspace closures

There will be restrictions on boats moving around Portsmouth Harbour before during and after the carrier’s arrival. Anyone thinking of making plans to travel within the harbour on the arrival day should check the restrictions issued by the Queen’s Harbour Master.

For the first entry of HMS Queen Elizabeth there will be a no-fly exclusion zone around Portsmouth Harbour as flying displays will take place during the event. Drone operators and military flying share the same low level airspace. Due to the speeds we fly, the chances of spotting a drone are almost impossible and for safety reasons all drone users should avoid operating in the vicinity of the harbour on the day HMS Queen Elizabeth enters her home port for the first time, as indicated by the Civil Aviation Authority Guidance. Further information on safe flying can be found at www.dronesafe.uk

Keep up to date

For further updates on the arrangements for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth please see the Gosport Borough Council website.