Councillors opposed to plans to lease a popular Isle of Wight attraction until 2027 say it will ‘block’ the regeneration of Yaverland and The Bay area.
The future of Browns Golf Course has come under fire after the Isle of Wight Council tried to sign a 5-year lease with a new tenant, Paul Saville, who took control of the attraction at the end of July.
Conservative Councillors, Michael Beston, Paul Brading, Warren Drew, Tig Outlaw, Chris Quirk, Joe Robertson and Ian Ward, along with Labour’s Richard Quigley, say the site is central to the wider area’s regeneration.
They want the signing of the lease to be deferred until after the Bay Place Plan is approved – a future scheme setting out regeneration plans for Sandown, Shanklin and Lake, which all Town and Parish Councils have contributed to. Instead, a 1-year licence should be granted to Mr Saville, they say.
The Councillors argue that committing the Council to investing significant funding to Browns, which may or may not be compatible with an as yet unfinished regeneration plan, is ‘perverse’.
The Isle of Wight Council argues deferral is not required because a 6-month break clause has been written into the contract, to allow the authority to get the land back for future development. The local authority says no decision has been made on the site’s future.
County Hall says any place plan would be based on what Islanders want to see there, so it should not prevent ‘business as usual’ activities, nor stop the ‘safeguarding’ of things like the pavilion building at Browns, which needs repair work.
Over the Summer, the putting greens, pitch and putt course and part of the pavilion reopened after £65,000 of repairs were carried out by the Isle of Wight Council. Work costing more than £117,000 needs to be done, in the next 6 months, so more of the attraction can reopen, said the authority.
It added the initial terms on offer were 5 years and Mr Saville’s business plan was written with that in mind, incurring more costs as a result.
The authority confirmed while negotiations were underway, no formal contract had yet been signed.
The matter will be discussed at the Council’s corporate scrutiny committee next Tuesday 10th October, where a way forward will be decided.
The likely truth is that the Pinks are already earmarked to develop this area hence a five year wait to do so would not be acceptable to them.
Strange handshakes have more clout than most will ever realise.
I am part of the team working to restore Brown’s Power Pavilion and its machinery, on the side of Brown’s Golf course.
What are those bunch of councillors (?) doing. The Golf Course is the best use of that land. We work all the year round and in the winter that area is waterlogged. No good for buildings.
The surrounding area is ideal for a conservation area for the people of Sandown.
This is not a decision to benefit the people of Sandown, so what is the real reason?
Probably the competition it may cause for the so called open air swimming project opposite or what ever fancy name they want to call it. What’s the bets that planning will be submitted for housing on the land before the end of the year, even though it is all marsh land?
Ye what turdtown to be regenerated…ye like thats going to happen..once a turdtown always a turdtown..
“£65,000 of repairs were carried out by the Isle of Wight Council. Work costing more than £117,000 needs to be done, in the next 6 months”..Who is our Council using? Seems that Council constantly ripped off or back handers. Probation looking for jobs for those needing community service and unpaid work etc,sure they could mow grass and some decorating etc. If I was current tenant I think I would also walk away, how can council expect him to put his own money in, advertising for next summer, forced to pay Tourist tax to another con – Visit IOW,pay rent and business rates – pay staff , electric and insurance etc ,just can’t be worth it. Far from regeneration Sandown going further down hill with parking charges now as well !.
And what does Mr Saville have to say about all this? Come on IE, do your job.
Oh no, not more public sector regeneration, haven’t they ‘regenerated’ enough of this island into oblivion already ? All bureaucrat driven regeneration means is hundreds of shoebox net zero compliant rabbit hutches, bans on vehicles ‘to encourage ‘pedestrianization and reclaim the world for the cyclist (which will be pictured in their always sunny posh looking artist impressions, you know, the ones they roll out for every new mass housing development)’ and more restrictions on even more of your freedoms as they look to tick every woke cultural Marxist climate change diversity and inclusion box available – nobody will visit and even if they do (by bus or on foot in the rain) it will be a soulless, joyless communist experience
Yeah stop the Communists keep the Pitch and Putt..they will never take out Par Threedom
What a load of hogwash, all they want there are blocks and blocks of flats to sell off to the rich and pocket the money, and buy a few for themselves. Take a look at this lots interests and properties they own, that says it all.
Like colonel bogies, jolly sailor and the arcade? Killing Sandown slowly
County Hall says any place plan would be based on what Islanders want to see there us Islanders don’t want all the house you are building do you listen to us NO you will do what you want to do and sod the people who live here what do we know we only pay your council tax and your wages
Typical councillors think they always know best and ignore the people who they takes absorbiant amounts of money from!! When Brown’s closed thanks to the antics of the council there was a public outcry wanting it to be open so what do these waste of time councillors do, try to block plans for its future! By all means tidy up the area but keep this green open space loved and used by so many.
Something stinks here………
The people of Sandown and the Isle of Wight want Browns to remain open and stay . At the next election I hope they are all voted out ! Shocking behaviour of councillors who aren’t listening to electerate. Roll on the next election!
Who actually owns it? If it’s in private hands, why are we, the taxpayers paying for it? If the council owns it, why aren’t we, the paying public, entitled to have a say?
Browns has proven to be extremely popular with visitors and residents alike. Why don’t the bloody councillors who want to band together and oppose a 5 year lease just shut up and fu*k off…..
Browns has history. It obviously stands in the way of planned plans!
Vote this dodgy backhanded funny handshakes load of councillors out.
No interest in the island advancing apart from their own interest and filling their wallets.
Crooked lot.
That is the biggest advertisement for getting shafted by the council you will ever see.
The tenant should walk away now and quickly.
Has it ruined there back hander and brown envelopes. keep brown’s it’s part of sandown might as well get rid of zoo as well
‘to allow the authority to get the land back for future development’
And, there’s the crux of it. Future development.
Perhaps the people of Sandown, and the Isle of Wight generally, don’t want all these green spaces developed?
Well said..I thought this site is protected historical.site
Ask the council where are they getting re generation money from
.
You simply can’t polish a turd.its not possible!
Don’t waste our taxes on pointless ideas which won’t help.its past helping now unfortunately
What don’t you like about Browns?
Probably where they want to build the big pointless swimming pool.
If the Council had invested in the structure of the building, when they owned it as Wight Leisure, and made sure it was maintained by themselves or future lease holders then it wouldn’t have come to this. Just like the Dinosaur Museum, it hasn’t had a preventative maintenance plan so what plans are on the table to stop a 5 year lease?