The Isle of Wight Council is to finally decide whether or not to approve plans to restore and convert Norris Castle into a luxury hotel resort and wellness centre next week. Members of the Isle of Wight Council’s (IOWC) planning committee will have the final say on the scheme which has been a hot topic amongst East Cowes locals and Islanders alike for some time when they meet on Tuesday 16th April. Those putting forward the plans are hoping to turn the site into a luxury hotel and resort, complete with wellness spa and retail and restaurant facilities. Sitting on a 76-hectare plot of New Barn Road in the north of the seaside town, the IOWC and the Norris Castle Estate Group (NCEG) – who purchased the site for some £4.7million back in 2015 – have been in talks since 2016 and NCEG originally submitted plans for the Grade I listed castle, which dates to 1799, in December 2021, but since then it has disused and is in a bad state of repair. As previously reported by Island Echo, it was in June 2023 that NCEG were given 3 weeks to make improvements on site after the Isle of Wight Council described the site as having ‘worsened considerably’. It was initially argued that the works would take too much (£500,000+) to complete and that they would only be patch repairs, rendering them useless by the following winter. Since the plans were introduced, more than 100 letters of objection have been received. In their objection, Historic England – the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s historic environment – considered these proposals to be fundamentally at odds with the significance of the ensemble formed by Norris Castle, its farm buildings and its designed landscape. It is believed that the plans are set to be refused, but the final decision is to be made at a meeting due to take place next Tuesday (16th April). 
COUNCIL TO MAKE DECISION ON NORRIS CASTLE NEXT WEEK
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Can’t they use it to house illegal migrants.
They employ illegal migrants, or crooks to do they’re work. As well as underage under paid staff they are scum
Who does? IOW Council or the current owners of Norris Castle? Be careful how you answer.
When you are in, you are in when you are out, your out until they want you in
Turn it into social housing, much better than building on
unspoilt land.
surely its got to be better than letting another IOW building crumble away and look an eyesore, give them permisson to go ahead
Look at there other eyesores they finish nothing
So let’s just back up a moment here and think about this, on one hand we have someone who wants to invest on the island and even east Cowes! Will probably use local businesses to save a property in disrepair? Employment to local people who will spend money in the community? Pay taxes! But no our local council will stop this because they are a bunch of dinosaurs!!! To the people in county hall (we voted you and or pay towards your wages and pensions while we struggle) please stop hurting our island and let’s move forward, stop wasting our money, stop trying to kill our towns and for the love of god let this happen! I don’t even live of ever visit monkey town but it’s a no brainier…. Unlike the floating bridge!!
You clearly have no idea whatsoever what this company are attempting to do. Destroy the esplanade with heavy plant and lorries using it to get to the site (illegally using Southern Water’s private access road), building holiday homes for the filthy rich on the esplanade land, illegally building on grade 1 listed land, illegally modifying a grade 1 listed building, just to build a hotel that will be far too expensive for any normal person to stay in. Those of us who live in what you stupidly refer to as “monkey town” (shows your mentality I suppose), say no.
Your right mate, nothing wrong with east cowes at all. The Queen lived there, loads of people go there. No one will afford this place and nothing will get done. Just more grants, more scams and more of the same companies failings. Prob just house themselves and there families for holidays
This company brings in there own crooks. They won’t employ island residents to do anything. Apart from the brown envelopes they give to people at the beginning, if they can’t afford to temporarily repair a building how can they do all this work to it.
There in millions of pounds worth of debt you only have to look at other investments they have.
Yeaaaaah, lets allow more car traffic on esplanade, build in dark sky area, f*ck the nature, and maaaaybe then they’ll have enough money after building more posh second homes on greenfields to kindly fix a castle… which they bought knowing very well it’s a historical asset that requires renovation and shouldn’t be surprised about the cost.
They literally took castle as a hostage to make money on posh homes on our greenfields – but we are the monkeys, lol.
Well said Stanley thumbs up
Shame but never going to come to nothing ..will just degrade over time…
If they couldn’t afford to do temporary repairs what makes you think they could do all the other work to it?
Oh, for goodness sake!
When will (some) people realise that you cannot preserve EVERYTHING on the way of so-called ‘buildings of historic interest’?
The building is in a terrible state if repair…
For goodness sake, if the Developers produce a High Class Hotel etc, it will at least bring money to the Island coffers!
They won’t develop to a high class, they will bodge the building. They will send all there money out of the UK to there other investment properties and the island won’t benefit a penny. This company only ever runs places into the ground. People need to research them.
These also own island harbour and look at the state of them buildings that got shut down
Yes real building site, rubble dumped on waste land up the road. Oil spilling into fields around the back of the farm up there. Health hazard. Breeze shut due to feeding customers raw and mouldy food, cockraoches out back say no more
That’s because the tower still has 1 of the crooks
All depends if enough money is in brown envelope !
I’m sure with this lot if the answer is no another 0 will add to the amount same as mainland properties of there’s
The a**eholes that own this are the same ones who own the unfinished flats for over 10 years at the back of island harbour. They’ve also got many corrupt staff working for them that have got away with masses of scams and fraud. Different properties over the UK not just on the island.
I heard they got kicked out from running island harbour? Cause they were stealing money from the company.
Norris castle, if you search online, who is invested in this property is the same company that owns the breeze restaurant, which was shut down well over a year ago. This place was shut down by food hygiene (they voluntary did it) so it didn’t look so bad. They don’t no what they are doing if they can’t run a poxy rundown restaurant, they just chuck kids in there to cook and serve what are they going to do with such a beautiful building.
I worked at the breeze, the company watched us from London on cctv, sent us home when dead, brought us back 10 mins later. Screamed at us all the time with violent language. Had other employees walking in and out getting freebies 24/7. They are awful people. They don’t live on the island its just a free holiday through expenses. I remember leigh brown taking 4 staff members out for a “MEETING” wouldn’t eat the food they serve no no no.. came back all drunk screaming at each other crying this is people in there 50s. If they can’t keep the breeze open they won’t keep that open.
They also own the insulvancy company that shut down the breeze.
Just smile and wave
I would like to comment on this news report. I’ve seen this property receantly, it looks nothing like these pictures at all. It’s worse (very sad)The “investors” have continually covered peoples eye with what is happening here. They actually sold all the items of value when they purchased the place, what they didn’t sell they scrapped or binned. Whilst speaking to the gentleman onsite he mentioned a old employee had got rid of most of the items and used the money to benefit himself. They didn’t preserve history or auction items so people could keep the history it was chucked into piles. He had said they could easily of fixed up leaks and done odd jobs to save this beautiful piece of history going to wreck and ruin. But they didn’t.
I was told the same years ago, corrupt company leaving it to ruin so they can get away witg the chnages easier. Brown envelopes going out full of £50s no doubt. Look on websites each and everyone envolved constantly gets a new title every couple of years so people don’t notice what’s happening with everything going under
They have there fingers in alot of pies
When was the last time anyone in east Cowes public been to the castle. Most don’t even know it’s there. So what’s the problem .
What will happen to it if Council refuse permission?
Any councillor supporting this won’t get my vote ever again.
They don’t care about the castle at all. They just want to build new homes for the rich retirees, taking away the green space from East Cowes to fill their pockets.
They already locked access to the forest grounds. No way I believe that after it becomes a luxury hotel, suddenly they’ll allow pleb like us in.
Castle is just their hostage „oh, would be a shame if anything happened to it, we can’t renovate it without money from building more homes so allow us to do that on your green space” – what’s shocking is that it’s not criminal.
As a former employee and a island resident I have seen unavend who own the castle and the convent island harbour and the breeze and island harbour flats as well as properties in London and a massive student accommodation hotel in Exeter and pub plus other places including Wales I have personally seen the corruption and underhanded dealing which go in within the company, between the likes of Leigh Brown eamon oconnor (oconnor construction) George… and moses.. with stealing money from companies history of starting building work and never finishing ripping off the poor investors who is some cases we’re perfectly innocent who have been pulled into all the mess such as unfinished flats, which are abandoned eyesore at island harbour. Tbc
The heavily contaminated farm land behind the farm at island harbour, full of buried asbestos gas cylinders and static caravans all buried. Waste oil and drums of who knows what. These are the same people than ransacked norris castle of the valuables history and integrity now left it as a ruined shell. There planned work will be done by mainland companies namely o Connor construction if it ever gets finished I promise you it will be done poorest standed and cheapest price and will be destroyed forever. Thank god the no longer control island harbour anymore
You should all, really, seriously refrain from naming individuals within this, in spite of whatever first hand knowledge you may have, remembering that dodgy does not always equate to illegal practice. This is in print, please, don’t. They could easily bury you all in litigation. Edit your posts.
You work for them then
Don’t be silly, no. Neither do I want them to able able to claim significant damages or appeal refused planning on that basis. Libel and defamation literally leaves an open goal.