ABANDONED HOUSE OPPOSITE CAMP HILL DEMOLISHED WITHOUT PERMISSION

An abandoned house opposite a disused Isle of Wight prison has been knocked down – but without planning permission. The Firs on Postern Road at Camp Hill had been empty for years but in recent months demolished to make way for new houses. The house was demolished without planning permission so now Waterlooville-based Colwell Bay Development is seeking retrospective consent. The developers —which now owns the site — have cleared the land to allow the build of 6 more homes where The Firs previously stood.  Plans were submitted earlier in the year for 9 houses ‘to make the most efficient use of the site’ but were subsequently withdrawn. Concern has been raised by Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council about too many properties being squeezed together, saying it looked “cramped and visually intrusive”. The new plans submitted have been previously considered by the Isle of Wight Council and refused. In 2019, the same proposals were submitted by a different developer and were approved by the government’s Planning Inspectorate. No building work has since taken place to implement the 2019 scheme, and the permission expired. In documents for the latest application, it says the proposals are exactly the same as the ones from 2019, so it says the council should be able to approve them. The site is opposite the empty Camp Hill prison. You can view the plans, 23/01924/FUL, on the Isle of Wight Council’s planning portal. Comments can be made until 8th December.