The bid to approve a new planning strategy for the Isle of Wight continues its slow march forward — although 1 cabinet member has railed against others to oppose it.
At the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet meeting last week, cabinet approved sending the draft Island Planning Strategy (IPS) to the full council with the recommendations from its scrutiny body. They included strengthening the protection of greenfield sites, by developing them only when absolutely necessary, and restricting the purchase of new builds as second homes.
Planning cabinet member, Councillor Paul Fuller, said the move starts to bring to conclusion a lot of work undertaken by the council in the last 4 years. However, Councillor Chris Jarman, cabinet member for strategic finance, said national planning policies call for the use of data and estimates used in the draft IPS are ‘wholly mistaken’.
Quoting population growth figures recently released from the 2021 census, Cllr Jarman said there was no need to build the targeted 479 homes a year — more like 70. He said revising the figures could mean a ‘radically different prospect for Islanders’, one that would not enable major developments.
Cllr Jarman argued there was no shortage of homes to buy and building houses would not fix the Island’s housing crisis. He said moving forward with the draft IPS was ‘illogical’ and voted against sending the plan to full council.
Cllr Fuller said through the strategy, the council was trying to fight the government-imposed housing figure which means the Island would have to build 730 homes a year. Through the evidence-based approach, Cllr Fuller said, officers and councillors have suppressed it as low as they think they can at 479.
When the draft IPS goes forward to the Planning Inspectorate there will be a further 6-week consultation period where evidence and figures can be put forward for consideration.
The draft IPS was set to be discussed at the next meeting of full council, on 21st September, but due to the national mourning period following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the meeting has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a date to be set.
Please delete ‘opposite’ and insert ‘oppose’
If 479 is wrong then it is wrong. And Jarman is right to question this. It’s about time that government formula targets are challenged full stop. That’s what we have an MP for.
Shouldn’t live your life dancing to a government target which isn’t right.
Hear Hear!
Correct, we need to work to the correct figures but please remember Jarman is a politician and hence is a complete stranger to the truth, within his own figures he is spouting include already granted permissions, the psoblem is he os then doing everything he can to stop those same permissions, he is a hypocrit and liar when it suits his argument, the 2500 on the housing list don’t lie
I’d imagine a target of 70 houses would severely cramp the style of Captiva Homes and all the BS Mr Pink has been spouting recently.
Not to mention all the other Greenfield chancers like Mr Jacobs latest urban abortion at Shalfleet.
Maybe sort out second home owners and holiday lets before building new houses.
Agree but whose going to sort all of the retirees moving here and buying up all of the housing stock and then getting elected and spouting their own personal agendas