CALLS FROM RESIDENTS TO TIDY UP ‘SHABBY’ EMPTY SPACE IN COWES

Foxes, fire hazard and ‘shabby’ land fears have seen residents call for an Island developer to do something with an empty site in the centre of Cowes.

The privately-owned land on Market Hill is a green spot, but neighbours in nearby Castle Road have raised concerns, saying it has become ‘increasingly untidy’.

The residents have now approached Cowes Town Council (CTC) asking the authority to buy the land from the developer — something it considered in 2019 — and want it turned into a small park. 

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A working party has now been set up by CTC, which has written to the landowner asking for a tidy up. It also wants the Isle of Wight Council to investigate.

Mavis Patterson, whose garden backs onto the land, says abandoned rubble and a lack of upkeep has attracted foxes and vermin, although environmental health inspectors found no evidence of it. Ms Patterson has also raised concerns about the safety of the retaining walls that separate the land close to Cowes High Street.

In 2013, planning permission was granted for a pair of semi-detached houses, but it has since lapsed. 10 years ago, the ‘untidy nature’ of the site was also flagged by the government’s Planning Inspectorate, during a planning appeal.

Cowes North councillor Richard Quigley has said Cowes residents are lucky because the town is well kept, with the sea on their doorstep. He said it meant land left in a ‘shabby state becomes very noticeable’.

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“It appears the landowner does not want to engage, so residents are taking the only option left and campaigning to get the site into an acceptable condition.”

Attempts to contact the landowner have been made but no response has been received at the time of publication.