New government housing targets – which would see an extra 1,045 homes expected to be built each year on the Island — are being challenged by the Isle of Wight Council.
Working in partnership with the Island’s MP, Bob Seely, the authority is taking a stand against a new government consultation proposal that would see a significant increase in the number of houses the council would be required to plan for.
Councillor Barry Abraham, Cabinet member for planning and housing, said:
“While the council recognises the need for new housing on the Island, we feel strongly that we cannot accept what the government is proposing.
“We listened following the draft Island Planning Strategy and have worked hard to build an evidence base that supports our position on this issue.
“Yes, we need to plan for housing that meets our needs, but we must make sure that it is realistic and deliverable. It shouldn’t be something government impose on the Island to achieve a national target figure.
“In preparing our comprehensive submission to government we sought the views of all members of the council and took into account the views of town and parish councils.”
The 8-week government consultation, ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’, came to a close last Thursday (1st October).
Those changes include altering the way housing figures are calculated — replacing the current ‘standard method’ with a revised calculation seemingly designed to achieve a national target of 300,000 new homes per year.
On the Island, the changes would see an expectation from government that an extra 400 homes would be built each year on top of the 640 the current ‘standard method’ requires.
The council will also be preparing a response to the government’s consultation on the ‘Planning For The Future’ white paper, which closes on 29 October.
Ministers say it aims to ‘streamline process, cut red tape and harness technology to deliver homes faster’.
The proposals include:
• introducing zonal development in towns and cities by earmarking land as ‘Growth’, ‘Renewal’ or ‘Protected’ – with outline planning permission becoming automatic for developments in ‘Growth’;
• introducing a ‘pattern book’ approach involving national and local ‘design codes’ to speed up development;
• scrapping Section 106 agreements under which developers provide a proportion of affordable housing or pay towards the cost of vital infrastructure such as schools, and replacing these with an ‘Infrastructure Levy’ that would be paid once a development was completed (not in advance, as now)
• making the housing numbers issued by government mandatory and binding, with land constraints being part of how the number is calculated.
Meanwhile, Cabinet members last night (Thursday) adopted a new housing strategy for the Island, developed in partnership with the public and private sector housing sectors over the past 12 months.
The strategy — which should not be confused with the Island Planning Strategy — is focused on building more homes that Island families can afford.
Councillor Abraham said:
“Around a quarter of all Island families struggle to find a suitable home of the right size in the right location, mainly one and two bed family homes.
“Our evidence is that many Island families need rented homes at 60 per cent of current rent and house prices to prevent evictions for rent arrears and other negative impacts related to health and wellbeing.
“The strategy also highlights the very low levels of home-ownership for the under 45s — and the very high levels of home-ownership for the over 65s — and the need to do more to help local working families on the Island and to bridge this gap.”
Theres enough houses thsnks.too many people here not enough resources.stop having kids and expect too get housed …hiw about stoo holiday homes being bought uo then!.dont come over here and simply expect.
Roads are chocka now its an island but its becoming over populated and with more n more houses.less and less green spaces for people too go.shocking at whats beingdone too a small once was quiet and less crime place too live.
Just full of spongers now bleeding island dry
The housing strategy created by Priti Patel, HM Government, is to house all the refugees coming to the UK on a one way trip never to return to their own country. P Feather development, 904 dwellings has been suggested to create their own community. The island will never be the same again.
You can see the point of Tim’s comment about resources especially schooling as Tim’s
school obviously did not cover English.
LOL
i suspect ron that tim has typed using the onscreen keyboard on his phone and just not corrected the typo’s.
either way – we do not need more houses on the island – more concrete, more co2, less oxygen, more rubbish, more gridlock, longer queues at stores/doctors/dentists etc
they couldn’t get a gp to take over in brading and shutdown the practice – what makes you think anyone will move here to cope with all these extra people that would inhabit these benefit hutches
I am unsure why we all have to ‘pretend’ not to see the real problem why housing is such an issue. It is clear to see, as half the world has, and much still arriving daily into a small country like the UK.
NONE come with a home, few come with the means to buy a home, so our countryside is taken to house such, and, we have to pay for the cost of building such, adding insult to injury.
We were ‘once’ told the UK needed such to fill jobs, NOW jobs have and will increasing so become scarce, we are left with the cost and damage to our countryside that having so many extra mouths to feed and to provide shelter for brings.
A simple work permit as we used to give would have provided staff, without having to then keep the massive offspring and their offspring for the rest of eterntiy.
SEE the real problem here, as the indigenous people are displaced from areas they once loved but now hardly recognise and they end up forcing more homes into ‘less troubled’ areas like the Isle of Wight as those escaping such people come here in an attempt to feel like they are still living in their own country.
Such truths are rarely heard now due to years of PC brainwashing and the every more powerful race card being used to prevent the true reason, yet anyone with eyes can ‘see’ why we need to build so much now, yet NO MP dare say such.
Disgusting state of affairs.
Well put
Tim’s comment is honest and fair, although the real British had cut down it’s amount of children to an ave of 2.4 each family.
Then we imported the third world, and since housing, crime and many social issues have ruined this once delightful country.
Just explain to Whitehall that an Island is a piece of land surrounded by water with no room to spread outwards.
A further message might might be along the lines that it is already woefully inadequate in supporting the existing population never mind any increase.
Refugees and asylum seekers, I think you’ll find Ms Priti Patel, Tory Home Secretary has ear marked the Isle of Wight for their new home!!!!!!
NO MORE HOUSES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
Y do we need more houses on the island u r going to spoil the islands naturally beauty and where are the jobs going to come from if u build these houses
Our Council is not strong enough and Bob Seely is so far up this governments backside that I just cannot see any fight against more housing. Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong .
Bob Seely as already brought it up in Parliament.
And at the finale he will achieve Jack s**t. He will dance to the tune of Parliament. Again hopefully I’ll be proved wrong. Don’t trust this guy as far as I could throw him.
Wrong. Bob has found out what Priti Patel, Tory Home Secretary in the Government has in store for the island. He and the Council now disapprove of housing everyone from around the world who come to the UK seeking asylum. Yes this is true. They are attempting to change the plans for the islands house building, reduce the numbers, but I don’t think they will be successful, the Isle of Wight has its future all planned out and it is not good!!!!!
The private rental sector is not the answer to housing people, paying sky high rents which leave precious little left for the renters to live on. There needs to be enough council houses at affordable rents to house all those on the councils own waiting list.
All the politicians ever do is talk about it, make promises and then do nothing. Bob the sausage and the council should stop telling us what they are not going to be doing and start telling everyone how and when they are going to get enough housing for the council own waiting list as their priority and stop making waves about something that might get them a few votes. Because in case they forgot they do what government tells them not the other way around…
If government has it’s way concrete jungle springs to mind without the infrastructure in place to cope, eg hospital.
Transport, schools, doctors, dentists, the list is endless. The so called algorithm obviously takes no account of the solent.
Things will never change until this government and council are voted OUT.
Unless that happens, building on green field sites will continue because the profit margins are far greater than building anywhere else.
Hooray, well said. Vote this Tory Government out at the next General Election. Don’t just moan about them, go to the Polling Station and put your cross in the box, have your say, stand up for what you want and what you believe in………. Boris Johnson wants to BUILD, BUILD, BUILD. I say, STOP, STOP, STOP HIM!!!!!!!
The roads can only just cope as it is and there’s only one hospital and then there’s the parking for residents, what about when tourists come over
Oh there will be PLENTY of tourists Simon. Only they will be on a one way trip, never to return from where they came. This is the plan for P Feather development in Ryde. To house everyone coming to the UK from countries far, far away!!!!!!!
EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE ISLAND HAS GOT TO MAKE THEMSELVES HEARD AND SAY “NO” TO ALL THIS PLANNED BUILDING. We do not support it and we do not want it. We do not want to have people from all over the world coming to the island, see them being housed and be on every single benefit there is in the system. They will be on benefits because what work is here for masses of people descending on the island?????!!!!!
And in the meantime Bob Seely and our wonderful council will obey their masters in government. You are spot on but unfortunately saying no will fall on deaf ears.
Yes, it will. The islands future is already planned out and not for the better.
Build another hospital that’s what we need, not homes