The Isle of Wight Council is looking to purchase a derelict piece of land in Newport Town Centre to redevelop the area, which could include 40 new homes. The 0.5 acre brownfield site on the corner of Pyle Street and East Street – arguably a prime site for commercial prominence – was purchased by Homes England in 2016 as a regeneration opportunity. However, viability issues mean the site has remained empty and overgrown since – with Japanese Knotweed thought to be present. Now, the local authority wants to secure a grant of nearly £410,000 to help purchase the land – but the deal must be done by the end of the month. It has not been revealed how much the site will be sold to the Council for, however. The money is being sought from the Brownfield Land Release Fund with a view to redeveloping the plot, or potentially selling it off for local housing with at least 35% of properties considered affordable. Without the grant, the purchase would simply not be viable. The Isle of Wight Council conducted a feasibility study last month which showed that 40x 1-bed and 2-bed homes – of which 14 would be affordable – could be built on the site, as well as a ground floor community or commercial unit with on-site parking and electric vehicle charging points. Further information on the purchase is expected in the coming weeks and months.
COUNCIL SEEKS TO BUY PRIME REDEVELOPMENT SITE IN NEWPORT – POTENTIALLY FOR 40 NEW HOMES
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Is that in a area liable to flooding?
Should all be affordable. In fact, they should be council houses. That is the solution to the housing crisis.
Thoroughly agree. Saw a thing yesterday which said that 1 in 21 adults is now a private landlord and that is what’s driving the housing crisis in terms of people not being able now to afford getting on the housing ladder, or private rent. Average house price in 1970 was just under 10k, in today’s money that’s 68k. Rental market then was just 10% of available stock, (all housing) now doubled, yet we now have no rent controls for private sector. So basically, entire generations of people are being priced out of a place to live. No wonder we need more council houses really.
can’t see that arguement is valid. The reason house prices have continued to rise is the lack of supply which has come about by the ” planners ” doing everything they can to refuse new development. Supply and demand is the driving force of prices – along with quality which has a more minor efeect.
But don’t sell them off cheap , biggest mistake ever !
And don’t sell them off cheap , biggest mistake made !
Don’t sell them off period!!!
We need to do an environmental impact assessment on the removal of Japanese Knotweed! It could be extinct in the UK if we continue on like this!
I’ve no doubt this is a great move and the council will not meet the deadline.
Could you get a £400k grant in less than 2 weeks?
I don’t believe I could and I’m at a loss to understand why the council would announce that they can/will. It’d be nice to be proved wrong.
That is brilliant for many reasons. I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with the Council.
It is an eyesore. We need small houses or flats and no greenfield land is being lost
Urban redevelopment must be prioritised over building on greenfield land.
The correct choice of builder is the next step. That needs a lot of careful thought.
But it is a positive move.
More homes and more homes,I remember when the island was loved by tourists for tourism,a lot is lost now due to new estates, houses and super markets,more money for the council I guess
Better than a few 5 bed detached though eh ???
You mean 40,badly built,cramped,overpriced shoeboxes,right on the main road,nice!
How do you squeeze 40 homes on half an acre ?
Easy build flats and apartments bout 5/6 floor high
And where are there cars going?
I would presume by going up , block of flats with underground parking etc.
Good, let’s get all the brown field sites developed before using green field sites. The council shouldn’t even consider looking at plans for green field developments when the island has plenty of brown field sites available for building.
About time something was done with this eyesore!
Just waiting for the comments linking this to immigration.
Yeah good ideal now you’ve brought up the immigration… put big concrete wall round it, gather them up and put them in there with a tent…. Their own little glamping site
Hate speech. Illegal.
Hate speech?
shut up you woke melt!
Yeh, a good ideal. You must be from Bristol (Bristle) with the ‘l’ on the end of idea. Proper job!
you ok? sensitive little thing you must be!
Fine thanks, just fed up with people spreading hate, suppose that’s the norm for you.
Why not 40 affordable homes
Council houses.
Just a thought- if the council are buying the land – why don’t they build them and not sell them but rent them to Islanders? They would recoup the money by rent, council tax etc. its okay to say some will be affordable but a lot of people can’t afford their “affordable ” homes.people who are already working in Newport should have first dibs as this would be a greener option too.
Because Thatcher
Thought it would be better used for the emergency services as there buildings are old and needs redeveloping.
Yes ,they need to find 410K to purchase the site, that was bought by homes england, a government body for a fraction of that cost, whether that is right or wrong matters little ,where are the IOW going to find the several millions needed to build these flats, or are they going to be sadddling the island with even more debt.
If the company that bought this land with a view to developing it have found out that it is not viable for building on, why does the council think it will be ok to build 40 houses on it? The current owners wouldn’t be looking to offload this land if they could build on it. More wasted money?
14 Affordable as we are using tax payers why are they all not affordable?
Whilst the idea itself is a good, albeit obvious one I am afraid I have little faith that the council will be able to execute this efficiently, and profitably.
Their track record across all areas is woeful, and I see no reason why this should be any different? Our council simply does not have the required experience or expertise in so many of the areas it is responsible for. This is borne out in the floating bridge fiasco, empty and decaying shop fronts, ridiculous parking charges and incredible mismanagement of public money.
Not to mention claims and allegations of bullying, in-fighting and general incompetence!
Properties being built on the Camphill site, off Horsebridge Hill and near Coppins Bridge. Hundreds of them. I pity anyone who lives north of Newport as for most of the day it will be total chaos and gridlock. As for affordable?!!!!!
Brilliant, but not before the Knotweed problem is sorted out surely? If builders go in and removes soil for foundations it will spread the knotweed anywhere on the island.
Prime land for fire service to rebuild its aging station
I think McDonalds should build a new drivethrough there, imagine the traffic chaos, just like on the Brading road on Ryde, lmfao.
Seriously, who would want to live next to a nightclub, the police station and the busiest roundabout/junction on the island.
Someone with no home and few other choices?
Any decent Council would shut down the sh*thole McDonald’s in Ryde
the traffic problem is a disgrace.
IW Council are useless B’stards when it comes to road safety
More homes my god people need to stop breeding, anyway Newport has always been a shithole, good luck.
We suggest that the council should buy this site and build one of our new “work homes”. The work homes will provide work to people who are unemployed in return for their benefits. The work involved might be mindless and even pointless on occasions but it will give meaning to the lives of people who are widely perceived as lazy layabouts. The general public will then have full respect for these “benefits scroungers” who will have to work 16 hours each day rather than the 16 hours each week worked by some. We also have plans to re-open some mines where these people can also be sent to work. Get Britain working. Vote Reform.
Sounds like the old Workhouses…..
Ah, Homes England! Was ever there a more mis-named quango? Ask East Cowes how effective Homes England are at regeneration and rejuvenation! Now if only there were a night-club that could get Mr Gove on site …
I thought the council were skint
The best thing to do would be to, move the council offices there in a purpose built, up to date building and then knock county hall down and build homes in that area.