After years of delay, councillors have finally agreed on the Isle of Wight Council’s Draft Island Planning Strategy – but with admissions that it still isn’t perfect. 27 local councillors voted in favour of the Strategy at last night’s (Wednesday’s) extraordinary Full Council meeting, with 10 against. It means that the so-called ‘planning bible’, which was first unveiled in December 2018, can now move forward to get the green light from the Government. The Strategy sets out policies, proposals and actions which will meet the social, environmental and economic challenges facing the Island in the years ahead. Over the past 7 years, the Draft Island Planning Strategy (DIPS) has been hit by setback after setback, either through disagreement at a local level or changes to national framework. The original 2018 draft was amended in 2021 and put back out to consultation, with the planned number of houses to be built reduced by 25%. So far it has cost in excess of £650,000 to produce the Strategy – and Councillor Paul Fuller has previously warned that it could be a couple of years yet before the plan is fully ratified and adopted.
COUNCILLORS FINALLY AGREE ON £650,000+ DRAFT ISLAND PLANNING STRATEGY
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Everyone struggling yet Council waste £650,000, Wightlink £500,000 on ticket things,£11,000000 on St Mary’s roundabout, £X millions on Ryde interchange etc yet we have people and children hungry having to rely on free meals at school and food banks, families homeless and poverty everywhere. Like government £1.2 million to send one migrant to Rawanda yet if migrant stayed and allowed to work would cost nothing and put money back into economy, they come because of Country we are,soon no one will and Britain’s will leave for Europe.
You negate your own argument. Why would someone want to come to a country “where families are homeless and people are going hungry with poverty everywhere”? Because that is not reality. They come because this is a wealthy country with plenty of opportunities for those who want to work or who are able to work.
I don’t often find myself defending our dreadful council, but facts matter and Ryde Interchange was funded by a grant from central government, the Transforming Cities Fund. Now you may feel that central government should not be spending money improving run down cities, but this money was ring fenced for infrastructure projects and the IWC couldn’t have spent it on free school meals or poverty even if they wanted to.
Still a complete waste of money.
Hopefully, the government can still no. I suppose it depends who is in government when it finally goes for consideration. Sounds like Labour will be giving a free pass to developers:
“Labour’s plans will enhance local communities power and voice over ‘how’ housing is built to best service local people, while challenging those who question ‘if’ homes the homes people need should be built at all.”
But developers don’t want to build actual affordable housing on the island, so what is the solution?
that should be “still say no”.
What about the scheme in Newport being built by a developer? 203 Affordable Housing units. …wait….they are not affordable i hear you cry with no evidence
That Captiva project has not been approved yet and we know how it goes after permission is given. Change this and change that, and before you know it there are 10 affordable houses and a pile of luxury flats. Wait and see.
What an absolute waste of time and money and even now it isn’t 100% I hope our Council is pleased with itself for lack of effort and now saying it will be years before it is implemented. I cannot believe planning can be this complicated if you have the right people making the decisions – obviously we haven’t.
What does it even mean?
They couldn’t run a bath between them yet alone organise a plan.
The entire system is to blame. It’s not so much the politicians or the council officers.
So much red tape, and ever growing. Government and the civil service needs a complete rethink. The whole thing is not fit for purpose. All we get is short term thinking for long term problems, and eternal indecision.