An Isle of Wight Cricket Club has had its plan to make more money – by removing a holiday let condition on a property – refused.
Ventnor Cricket Club had asked the Isle of Wight Council to remove a holiday let only condition on its lodge, which is opposite the academy and pavilion.
The sports body had hoped it would allow them to rent the property to a single tenant all year round but particularly during the Winter months when the holiday market is quiet. The additional income would have helped the club cover rising bills, it said.
However, Isle of Wight Council planning officers said it would go against the authority’s tourism policy as it would remove the holiday let from use.
In their decision notice, officers said the Council would only permit the loss of existing accommodation through redevelopment or conversion to other uses where it can be ‘robustly demonstrated the existing use is no longer viable.’
Officers say the holiday let is of good quality and of the type the Council is looking to retain to support tourism. They say there is also insufficient information to demonstrate the loss of the accommodation would be acceptable and recommends that better marketing could achieve a higher level of visitors.
Officers questioned whether there was no demand for the let in the Winter or if it was just not being made available as they searched Airbnb and they were unable to book the let from the end of October to mid-March.
They said they were aware that over the Winter months, there remains a demand for holiday lets, with the October half-term and Christmas periods popular with tourists.
Ventnor Town Council had commented on the application to say it could see no reason to oppose the plans.
The Cricket Club said it had no intention to sell the property and it would still be let to holidaymakers during the Summer but the additional rental income would help cover rising costs, like its heating bill which now costs £20,000 a year. It can appeal the decision should it wish to.
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if our council helped and supported local businesses and residents to keep going in these difficult times.
Don’t be daft ,our council only likes to waste and lose money , they don’t care ,its not their money .
They will once they receive the big brown envelope
It would be nice if they supported visitors by re opening the toilets that have been dumped on the town councils who can’t afford to run them.So much for the importance of supporting the holiday trade.
Why not, it would be good for business.
Funny idiots in this council, homeless people around needing, council complaining about second home owners etc yet they block this. It’s down to who knows who and money for them ..
If as I suspect, the Council fear just a ploy to turn a sports facility into future residential area then covenants can be placed upon the terms to prevent that risk.
Re the brown envelopes, the amount of palm’s needed to be greased means this ONLY normally occurs with large scale development. But more a case of who you know with small scale development