Over 150 Bembridge residents met with Island MP Bob Seely earlier this week to share their views on the new draft Island Plan – which will determine where new housing is built on the Island over the next 15 years.
Mr Seely was joined by East Wight Councillors Joe Robertson and Jonathan Bacon, and West Wight Councillors Peter Spink and Chris Jarman who were also keen to hear the views of residents.
The meeting kicked off with a presentation by local campaign group ‘Build a Better Bembridge’ – a group of local residents concerned with the wellbeing of the village. Bruce Huber spoke eloquently about the needs of the village.
The group presented their concerns about the suitability of the village to absorb 180 new homes with two small access roads, existing High Street congestion issues and limited parking and employment opportunities. Drainage and water management issues were also highlighted, along with concerns about the additional strain on transport, healthcare, and education. House prices and environmental concerns were also raised.
Mr Seely also addressed residents setting out his plans to address overdevelopment across the Island which included lobbying Government for greater landscape protections and reducing the Island’s housing target. He urged residents who hadn’t yet responded to the Island Plan consultation to do so before it closes for comments on Friday (1st October).
Following the meeting, Mr Seely said:
“I would like to thank all of the Bembridge residents who came to the meeting to discuss how planning can be more community-led and how we fight against large-scale and unwanted greenfield development. There were lots of great contributions.
“In Bembridge, it’s really important that planners do not expand the village settlement boundaries to allow more large-scale development on the edge of the village.
Article continues below this advertisement “I have published my response to the Island Plan consultation on my website. I would urge anyone looking for advice on how to respond to the consultation to take a look there first.”
Bembridge Councillor Joe Robertson said:
“I am calling for a reduction in future housing numbers for Bembridge in the draft Island Plan Strategy. Over the summer we have seen severe flooding in the Village. Three of the worst affected roads – High Street, Steyne Road and Hillway – intersect with fields that the draft IPS allocates for 180 new homes. Having seen flood damage done to properties and 20,000 litres of water pumped out of the nearby pub on one night his summer, it is clear that the drains are unable to cope with the current houses. Our priority must be to ensure local infrastructure is able to cope with the housing and population we already have before any discussion about adding more.
“Bembridge is in many respects an Island within an Island having only two access roads and one bus an hour. It is bound on three sides by the sea. It is simply not suitable as a growth area which the draft IPS appears to have it earmarked for. I am also calling for the IPS to keep Bembridge as a “rural service centre” like Yarmouth and not categorise it as a “secondary settlement” alongside bigger, busier places such as Ventnor and Wootton.
“I would like to thank local residents for turning out in such large numbers to voice their concerns. My thanks also to Bob Seely for taking the time to visit Bembridge and for speaking so passionately about protecting our Island from unwanted development.”
Councillor for Brading & St Helens, and Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management, Jonathan Bacon, said:
“I was very pleased to attend the meeting at Bembridge and to see the level of interest in the draft Island Planning Strategy. As was stated at the meeting, the current document is very much a draft and will be amended before the final version is arrived at. With this in mind the input received at such meetings is very valuable.
“The key is to make sure we are able to provide evidence and substantiate what is eventually put forward as it has to be approved by a Government Inspector. It is also important that we ensure we produce a Plan that is acceptable so that it can be put into effect as soon as possible and enable us to get away from the position we have been left in where we have little or no local control at all over our planning. Within these parameters we must do everything we can to get a plan that works to preserve and sustain all that is good about the Island.”
Islanders can submit their comments on the plan here: https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/environment-planning-and-waste/Planning-Policy-new/The-Island-Plan-Review/Surveys-and-Consultations.
Mr Seely’s consultation response can be viewed here: https://www.bobseely.org.uk/news/mp-responds-island-plan-consultation.
Bob Seely for taking the time to visit Bembridge and for speaking so passionately about protecting our Island from unwanted development. You don’t own the views bembridge folks. You will have to take what all us unwashed have put up with. Dust noise vans parked out side your house day in day out. Your castle is your home as is my castle but yours is worth a lot more so take it like the rest of the island.
The island has a lot to learn about this forced issue, Bali has had similar problems after over building, it may be thousands of miles away but it took 50yrs to get to where they are now from the idylic village life of the seventys..fight the developers as this will not stop until every inch is built on.
He who shouts the loudest etc
Meanwhile Ryde just folds as usual like a cheap suit. Should be some levelling up done on this Island.
why the rich bembridge lot!how about pennyfeathers or many other poor buulding ideas outsude of bembridge?
strange that!
Not naming anybody but i noticed in the meetings photo three people who are second home owners on the island. How can these people have a say when they are a part of the housing problem.
A room full of bigots more interested in their house prices going up than the people trapped in a rental nightmare.
At the moment it is all talk.
Until the IPS is sorted out properly, the over development will continue and there appears to be nothing anyone can do till then.
Not so sure, if the people with influence are doing the shouting. I reckon that new developments are going to get green light in places of least resistance/influence. And seems the villages are more resistant than the towns which just spread and become less desirable to live in.
Like what has already happened in Ryde. Fill a town chockful of druggies & alkies and they are less likely to object to whatever nasty developments occur, because it doesn’t matter to them as long as they can congregate in their little groups huddled together taking over parts of the town that become no go areas for decent folk who may fancy a sit down but can’t because the benches are colonised by the lowlife swearing and slurring.
So so true, it’s absolutely disgusting. Nothing is done. Seen it elsewhere on the Island and they’ve been sent packing.
They have been sent packing ?
Packing to where exactly ?
Judgemental snob !
Bit ott ain’t it, so what if the so called “druggies and alcoholics” or mentally damaged and the socially disadvantaged gather in certain places. The vast majority of them are polite and tidy up after there selves. What is so wrong with meeting up with similar people in the same position as your self for friendship and commerardey and advise ect.
As you pointed out, you know where they may be, and if you are so offended, don’t go to these places !
Ryde is a big town, plenty of places for all people, from all walks of life to go where they want.
Just because you disapprove of there lifestyle choices, it is still a free country (just).
About time that you get off your high horse and start smelling the roses !
They’re no more disadvantaged than I am & likely a lot better off. Don’t know how they can afford all the booze. You can’t walk into the Co Op without them littering up the square, & to see all the rubbish strewn around after they’ve been there makes nonsense of your statement that they clean up after themselves. Ryde is not a big town, matter of opinion, I try to avoid it as much as possible but have to shop for my disabled friend so necessitates a trip to the Co Op, I sometimes need to sit down outside but can’t with the boozing and bad language and offensive talk, often aggressive. If those are your sort of people, you’re welcome to them, doesn’t say much for you if you associate with those anti social people who sound like they’ll become violent any second.
So, to sum it up
“Not in my back yard!”