The Isle of Wight Council has agreed to buy an eyesore site in the heart of Newport – but is keeping the price tag under wraps. The land on Pyle Street and East Street, once home to the Shoulder of Mutton pub, next to Coppins Bridge, has already been earmarked for a housing development. The council has now agreed to buy the 0.5-acre site from Homes England. Last week Island Echo reported on the plans to seal the deal. Councillor Ian Stephens, the deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and finance, made the decision on Wednesday to add the brownfield site to the council’s land portfolio. The decision will come into force on 6th April, if no councillor challenges it. The council feared if it did not buy the site, it would open the door for “an opportunistic developer … which may not enhance this key location or deliver housing”. The authority suggests it could provide 40 homes (of which 14 would be affordable), a ground floor commercial or community unit and on-site parking. The council has been able to secure £409,360 from the Government to make the site suitable for redevelopment, including clearing, levelling and removing materials. The actual price the council would buy the land for is confidential – despite being publicly funded – but the council may pay £14,000 in legal fees. In a report, the authority said the purchase price and holding costs for the site are ‘sufficiently low’ that buying it now “and taking time to bring the right development forward would be preferable to risking someone else acquiring it, mitigating both of these risks”. Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, the cabinet member for regeneration, wondered if the housing units could be available for student accommodation or hospital contract workers. Officers highlighted that the decision only commits the council to buying the site, not what could be built there or the future uses of the land. To carry out the scheme, planning permission is still needed. Homes England bought the site in 2016 as a regeneration opportunity but the council said it was never developed due to viability issues.
CABINET MEMBER GREEN LIGHTS COUNCIL’S PLAN TO BUY PYLE STREET WASTELAND
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Why is the price being kept secret, publicly funded, someone spill the beans, come on. This council are the real pits, spending OUR money, but deciding not to let on how much it cost, kind of like fraud and theft really isn’t it. And the use of the catch all phrase “affordable” so what is actually affordable then, is there a set price? Jordan of course will condone all of this, after all he didn’t let on how much they had to pay off for the floating bridge fiasco did he.
That’s a ‘democracy’ for you!!!
Claiming commercial confidentiality would possibly be valid if the plan was to sell the land on immediately at a profit, but that is not the case here.
The council has clearly stated their aim to develop the land themselves making the decision not to disclose the purchase price yet another example of this council’s blatant refusal to comply with their legal obligation of open and transparent accounting.
Why add more fuel to the fire of those suggesting the council are corrupt?
Whilst the actual council can easily ensure that they are not personally directly involved in any wrongdoing, such dubious blatant secrecy only adds weight to the public perception of suspicion.
For councillors are in a position to get relatives, friends etc to buy or sell property/ land secretly if information on such deals is allowed to be kept secret.
Heaven knows what else we are never told.
That is precisely why the council have the legal obligation to publish clear and open accounts except in very specific cases such as individual salaries or similar circumstances where harm would result.
I’m considering raising the matter with the local government ombudsman because the council seem to be hiding behind excuses like commercial confidence in circumstances that are somewhat questionable in an increasing number of cases.
Now, wouldn’t this have been a better location for the ‘all singing and dancing’
Doctor’s surgery?
At least everyone can get there rather than all turning up at the same time from the rare bus that will pass outside the proposed new location on the industrial estate?
Better still, turn it into council offices and then redevelop the ‘monstrous carbunkle’ at the bottom of the High Street.
14 affordable house’s??????
What about the other 26 ????
And as for not informing us cash cow’s who are paying for these mega portfolios, I feel we should be informed of all cost’s….
And they wonder why we don’t trust them and never will ……
Council for the people lol…..
.
We need to vote this council out, to many secret deals with tax payers money, floating bridge and schools now this. £400,000 to clear,£14,000 legal – why council have in house legal.
We can look up later anyhow on land registry,Zoopla etc
More fekin secrecy and brown envellope deals… Whta’ wrong with publishing price details ? What are they trying to hide ?
Why is the price being kept secret, it is OUR MONEY these clowns are throwing around, same as the floating bridge money, it is totally disgusting this secrecy and they should be forced to disclose this information.
“Homes England bought the site in 2016 as a regeneration opportunity but the council said it was never developed due to viability issues.”
But then the council buys it to develop, with an undisclosed amount of taxpayers’ money? Does anyone else smell the rotten stench of a future scandal?
Who is getting a back-hander here? Why isn’t our money being spent on urgent infrastructure instead of more of these fishy schemes?
Homes England couldn’t on viability issues,yet council has spent our money and taken from government, half that £400,000 should of been given to Homes England then saved tax payers across Government and Council. Some back handers and corruption here – again.
Should HAVE, could HAVE, would HAVE.
Now, let’s see… Homes for England did not manage to develop due to ‘viability issues’…
And yet our (secretive) Council, who have already had to hand back parcels of land of knock-down prices due to their abject failure to secure a Developer think they can do better!
Watch this space Council Tax PAYERS!
I think the obvious implication is that the Council have paid over the odds for the site.
The seller probably knew the Council were desperate to buy it and that they would pay the price asked.
If the Council had got a good deal, had negotiated a bargain, they’d be only too keen to let us all know.
If it’s public money being spent, there should be no secrets about how much you’re spending.
Only 14 out of 40 to be affordable.Why not the whole lot? What a useless council we’ve got.
£14k in legal fees. Inside job – councillors’ friends doing the conveyancing for a ridiculously overpriced amount, no doubt, to siphon money off from us council tax and business rates payers.
I didn’t know we had so many conveyancing experts on the island. It’s a surprise considering the general low level of literacy in the area. Still, it’s good to know there are so many geniuses keeping a careful wise eye over our local finances. Looking forward to the next installment… and the comments section.