The Isle of Wight has only achieved 54% of its housebuilding target over the past 3 years — leaving it vulnerable to unwanted development.A
Its poor record, which left it close to the bottom of the national table, means there is a presumption of approval to applications for schemes within the National Planning Policy Framework.
Between 2017 and 2020, 1,823 homes should have been built across the Isle of Wight to meet government-set targets but only 978 were delivered. Only 17 areas in the country had worse housing levels than the Island, all falling below the thresholds which means their planning authorities are subject to the strongest sanctions.
Across the Solent, Southampton achieved 129% against its target but Portsmouth only reached 80%.
Planning policies the council use for the delivery of new homes can now be viewed as out of date so when determining the applications. The planning authority may, in some cases, have to rely on national ones instead.
Due to the presumption, this argument is used by planning agents when stating why their schemes should be approved. It does not automatically mean, however, the application will be approved but that it should only be rejected if significant and demonstrable harm would outweigh the benefits.
The Isle of Wight Council is under further sanctions because it cannot demonstrate the number of homes permitted and expected to be built in a 5 year period — despite the number of already-approved developments.
Speaking at the March meeting of the planning committee, Councillor Richard Hollis listed developments including Harcourt Sands, Pennyfeathers and Rosemary Vineyard in Ryde, and Place Road in Cowes, all with planning permission, some yet to be built. He said adding up the developments, he did not believe that figure failed governments targets.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said recent court cases have helped the planning authority consider how the presumption is applied to applications. While policies may be out of date they potentially remain relevant and should be considered when passing judgement.
They said the council will continue the Island Plan Core Strategy while the next-generation Island Planning Strategy (IPS) is being finalised. To help build the next IPS, people have been asked to identify brownfield, or previously developed land, that could be potential development sites.
And we wonder why there is a housing shortage nationwide and the young are being forgotten.
Come on DS pull your finger out and stop dreaming of grand schemes just get the basics right houses for first time buyers that are affordable it’s pretty simple.
Vote wisely in May, and wave goodbye to these dubious beings.
GOOD!
Should stop before the Island becomes a concrete jungle.
Good, let’s hope the Council continues to fail.
Building wrong homes, need to build affordable housing for islanders. Not boltholes for Londoners.
I can’t believe that they want to build so many houses when there are no jobs for the people, an overrun Hospital, not enough Doctors, dentists emergency services either.
If the local services can not cope now, why are they trying to force even more house on us.
we all keep saying this but the thick sculls dont get it
Bob Seely needs to strongly point this out to Boris Johnson. We understand it Oldbutalive, obviously the conservatives in Westminster don’t. The island should not have such an aggressive building plan. It will be ruined and our services will crumble.
Supply and demand – with 300,000 people net being imported every year by every government since 1997, they need to force local councils to build large numbers of houses everywhere to squeeze everyone in. It is not a local issue as they simply can’t stop it (we don’t need these huge numbers of houses to be built but incomers from outside the UK certainly do) .Until we have a govt who brings this under control, the concreting over England will accelerate and any of the main parties who claim they will stop it are basically not being honest (because Lib/lab/green all support mass immigration and actually want more than the incumbent govt)
Bob better get his finger out and go parle with Boris and his housing minister and tell them in no uncertain terms, the IOW does not need or want hundreds of new dwellings…..well maybe affordable homes for young islanders wanting to get on the housing ladder. Defo no more second homes.
GOOD – the island is a biosphere and a garden island – we do not need any more hutches built for people to just move here – no more housebuilding on greenland at all – ever
BUILD BUILD BUILD. This is the Conservatives plan. Blame Boris Johnson. We don’t want the island to become a concrete jungle.
If Blair would have stuck to his promise then the Conservatives wouldn’t be building so many houses for labour’s short fall.
Check your figures before pointing fingers.
It’s so easy to comment but when you dont know what your talking about then shhhhhhhh!
the correct headline should be
the council has environmentally, sensibly ignored a ridiculous target to concrete over more acres of the island by building houses that are not needed by the local population. However, the council has failed to achieve the zero percent target by building hundreds of houses on the island over the last year, which were not needed.