The Isle of Wight Council has netted nearly £500,000 to make 3 more brownfield sites suitable for housing.
In the 2nd round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund, the Isle of Wight Council has been awarded £426,000. This comes following success in the 1st round too.
There had been fears the authority would miss out on more cash, due to a lack of up-to-date planning policy. However, it has now been able to secure a share of the £180million from Government, which has been given to 100 projects across the country.
The new sites are on Medina Avenue and New Street in Newport, and at Lowtherville in Ventnor.
Councillor Ian Stephens, the Council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for Housing and Finance, said:
“We welcome the announcement of more funding for Brownfield sites across the UK this week.
“The Isle of Wight Council is committed to prioritising opportunities that deliver affordable housing on the Island and this successful bid will help us in that endeavour.”
Once the sites have been made suitable and ready for housing, they will be sold to developers to deliver the properties.
Brownfield land, also known as previously developed land, is the Government’s preferred land to build on – saving greenfields from development – but comes with added costs to make the sites ready for redevelopment.
The brownfield fund was set up with the view of making it easier for local authorities to turn the sites around and make them prime candidates for development.
In the 1st round, the Council was given £950,000 to make the sites of Berry Hill in Lake; the former Weston Academy in Totland and Thompson House on Sandy Lane in Gatcombe, ready for homes.
Work has been progressing on those sites as Thompson House has recently been demolished and Berry Hill sold to developers.
What have they done to Weston Academy with any of that previous money.? It’s exactly how it was when it closed and it has been on the market for sale for yonks.
The story also mentions a brownfield site in Medina Avenue Newport. Would this be the old drive test centre.? I thought that was also for sale or sold.?
It’s good that half a million is going towards building on brownfield sites and not greenfield sites but you would expect that money to go on bricks and mortar and get some houses built but it would appear not. It seems as though it is spent on admin and paperwork and is quickly frittered away.
Someone from the council please come on and correct me as we need to know.
Ew, brownfield gets turned into flats which means poor people! We only want detached homes for respectable people!
So the poor are not repectable? What a very ignorant comment
Maybe apply for FOI on the expenditure and where it went?, after all, it is public money!
Good news. Maybe the equivalent area of greenfield land already given planning permission can have that permission rescinded.
Even better if this could be adopted as a future policy by the Council.
Then perhaps some irreplaceable greenfield land will be saved.
A house can be built in a few months using new modular construction. Re establishing green field habitats takes decades.
Put the brakes on this destruction of our environment.
Totally agree, we need flora and fauna, not rabbit hutches, and a concrete jungle ……
Our infrastructure cannot cope now …..
Only affordable housing for islanders on brownfield site’s….
Not fat profits for mainland/ greedy builder’s
…
The Isle of Wight Council is committed to prioritising opportunities that deliver affordable housing on the Island and this successful bid will help us in that endeavour.”
..
that statement should read “the isle of wight council is committed to prioritising oppportunities that deliver longer traffic queues, more people, more pollution, longer waits for the dentist/doctor or hospital and more council tax revenue for the council gravy train. This successful bid will help us in that endeavour.”
Wish they would find suitable sites for new reservoirs whilst they are at it.
Turns out the Tories privatised water and SW are closing reservoirs.
Would be all fine and dandy if they made these homes for islanders. (no second home or buy to let in the deeds). Also, maybe, get more doctors and dentists first? I can’t get a doctors appointment without ringing up and pretending it’s urgent. (their advice to me).
What is an islander? I just seen people who live in the UK who need to go to where they can afford to live. This isn’t your birthright xD.
those born and bred in an area have preference over all others. The rest of you can move if you don’t like it. We didn’t ask you to come here, your choice, your fault.
What a retarded statement. Get back under your rock.
Just buy a load of mobile homes and put them on these sites. The work dodgers on benefits can go live in them and maybe they will think hard about getting a job when winter comes. Don’t see why we should be paying out our hard earned money supporting lazy scroungers. Get them in mobile homes and on minimal benefits or better still, provide them with basic food rations (no pizzas).
Mobile homes or the post war prefabricated bungalow would be ideal for some of those people.
But the homes would have to be placed near to tattoo shops and iPhone shops, plus as you have already mentioned ~ pizza shops / KFC.
Who needs to spend £50 on heating when you can get a tattoo for that price.?
Put your money where you talk is and build some council houses
That ship sailed a long time ago thanks to Thatcher.
Affordable housing? For who???