Isle of Wight Councillor for Bembridge, Joe Robertson, has called for a reduction in future housing numbers.
The Isle of Wight Council’s draft Island Plan Strategy is currently out for public consultation and Bembridge parish councillors and residents have been combing through the plan which allocates sites for 193 new homes, mostly in fields by Mill Road and Steyne Road.
Nearly 100 local residents and parish councillors packed the Village Hall at the beginning of September to question Isle of Wight planning officers about the figures and highlight local concerns including infrastructure and the environment. Councillor Robertson invited the Officers back to a site visit during daylight hours which took place on Monday this week (20th September).
Cllr Robertson said:
“I am concerned at the uneven distribution of housing numbers. Bembridge has been allocated 193 homes whereas nearby Seaview & Nettlestone has a figure of 17 and Brading & St Helens has none at all.
“The Bembridge sites that have been allocated in the draft plan are outside the current settlement boundary and are close to areas that saw severe flooding this summer. 20,000 litres of water were pumped out of the nearby pub in July and several houses suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage. Flooding and environmental impact are high on the list of residents’ concerns with these draft proposals.”
Bembridge Parish Council Chair Liz White and Deputy Chair Sir Paul Kenny joined the site visit with local planning officers. Cllr White said:
“Bembridge is bound by sea on three sides and there are only two access roads. We are in many respects an island within an island. There is not the infrastructure to cope with further large-scale development. Sir Paul added, “the draft proposals to build on this scale, in a village which already has serious infrastructure problems, are silent about the impact these developments will bring.”
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Cllr Robertson added:
“I would like to thank the planning officers for visiting Bembridge and engaging with an open mind. I look forward to continuing to make a strong case for Bembridge, together with parish councillors.
MP Bob Seely will be attending a meeting at 19:00 on 27th September in the Village Hall, supported by local group ‘Build a Better Bembridge’ and open to the public. Key Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Members have also been invited.
hope his pals in county hall do the same till they build another hospital
this all stems from there being no house planning formula. the new draft plan is just a list of planned builds wanted by developers.
of course you will get people in one place saying why us? why they got nothing over there?
and the council can’t defend it, because they have no formula, no limits, just dancing to someone else’s tune.
they need to do something intelligent that can be defended at all levels or else just p***ing too many people off
no more houses, means more greenfields and less co2 in the atmosphere – if the council are serious about their so called climate emergency and biosphere status, then they will outlaw any new builds on the island on any greenfields for ever.
Building houses is one thing, filling them up with snort/swill low life from the mainland over spill is another. If there must be more houses built here, build them for working families that are homeless and doctors and nurses who are struggling to pay their greedy landlord rents. None of any of the houses being build here at present are for the likes of people like these who should be given some kind of priority with subsidised rents. There is plenty of land to build on without decimating green fields and farms too.
These greedy developers don’t see the Egrets or Herons or the Badgers, the Cows, all they are interested in is money, we could fulfill our criteria by building at Camphill Prison site, why aren’t we ? Our roads aren’t built for this overdevelopment for our overcrowded Country !
One hopes these councillers will look into the ill conceived plan of ‘affordable housing for Islanders’ remaining so, which is already being flouted in their village.
A certain person who gained affordable housing in the village which is supposed to be sold on to Islands, is now selling their home at an inflated price, knowing full well only mainlanders can afford such a price tag, and so long as he advertises it for over three months, can then legally sell it on to someone from the mainland.
So, all he will do is refuse offers for that period of time from locals, thus making such ‘affordable for Island people’ a complete joke.
Yes astis, and from someone who ought to know better than flout the rules.
Looks like the ol brown envelope brigade have been busy again, what you recon?
How could this council and the previous councillors and all the officers let things get into such an appalling state of affairs?
I don’t suppose we will ever find out why or who.
WHY have a boundary if it can be moved ??????