Developers behind a major housing scheme in Ryde are ready to start building — as soon as the Isle of Wight Council gives the final permission.
Over a year ago, planning permission was given by the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee for the 2nd phase of West Acre Park – for a further 473 homes.
However, the developer, Captiva Homes, is still waiting for the final sign-off before they can start digging foundations at Westridge.
A section 106 legal agreement is still between parties, needing to be signed by all stakeholders before formal planning permission can be issued. Hope is on the horizon for the Island housebuilders who believe the approval will be in the not-too-distant future.
Iain Delaney, Captiva’s chief executive, said:
“It is out of our hands. We have seen a draft, final copy and the agreement is out for signing; it is simply the time it takes to get through the system which has been complicated.”
The granting of planning permission has been viewed as controversial, with a campaign set up against the Isle of Wight Council, ready to launch a judicial review.
Campaigners, Save Westridge Farm, believe there were flaws in the way the planning application was decided and has raised more than £18,000 to fight the matter, should the review be accepted. Mr Delaney said delivering on the potential of West Acre Park is the company’s number one priority and they hope building work could start in the new year, with the first properties occupied in the summer.
The 1st phase of the development — 86 homes — has now been completed and all contracts exchanged.
Figures released by Captiva Homes say 80% of the property reservations came from Islanders and 45% from Ryde itself. Of the 86 properties, 50% were sold to first-time buyers.
The average sales value of the first phase was £277,000, compared with the Island’s average house price of nearly £298,000. None of the 1st phase were sold to second-home owners or buy-to-let property investors.
Mr Delaney said West Acre is a big project, not just by Island standards but also for Captiva which will take 8 to 9 years.
Each year, between 50 and 60 homes will be built, and included in the first round of homes will be a doctor’s surgery.
Having spoken to GP surgeries, the issue doctors faced with expansion plans, Mr Delaney said, was not a lack of doctors but a lack of new fit-for-purpose facilities for practices to work in. It was this area, he said, Captiva felt it was making a meaningful difference.
Captiva is currently building Highwood Grove, a 28-property development in Rookley.
Yes I have seen the 28 house’s ???? In Rookley….
I call it the Rabbit Warren ,……
No room to swing a cat ….
Captiva are obviously very keen on concrete jungle jigsaws!!!!!!!
How about they do something useful and stop destroying our tiny little island …..
These hutches definitely live up to the name breeding like rabbits….
I have seen the floor plans, a two bedroom house at Rookley is the same size as the whole of my down stairs where I live now. Dont nail any pictures to the wall the timber frames on each side are not exactly flush with each other
Seems Captiva are getting hot under the collar over the IWCC’s draft Planning Strategy regarding green field sites. Until the IWCC sign off the 106 agreement, and until there is a final outcome from the following Judicial Review, Captiva can not continue with their ruination of Westridge Farm. Captiva are 100% full of hot air and wind.
The Pinks, who own Captiva live in Bembridge, where by pure coincidence planning to build on green field sites is now unlikely.
Masons ensure the old adage of ‘Not in my back yard’ still applies when it becomes’ Not in our sprawling landscaped estate’
This whole Bembridge housing issue stinks and leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.
Agree Jammu, funny how there’s no local need for housing in Bembridge. yet a few miles down the road, there’s a massive need (apparently) to the tune of around 1500 houses!
Nature has taken forever to create such beauty and homes for peaceable wildlife to make their homes in and to source their food.
Captiva will destroy it all within a decade.
Can only hope that some of the pain, fear and misery of countless tiny lives destroyed, not for a while, but forever, is felt by such greedy uncaring selfish beings.
Sadly it won’t be, they will have another huge beautiful home build in another country and live life to the full.
Each year, between 50 and 60 homes will be built, and included in the first round of homes will be a doctor’s surgery.
HA HA and where are the doctors – cannot even see one now let alone find a new one.
These people are hell bent on destroying the environment to line their own pockets
So true rang Dr’s today as it’s not urgent 3/4 weeks to have a phone consultation !!!!!
Maybe serious by then ….
How the heck (polite version)
can they keep building house’s with are infrastructure, council need to pull their finger out and sort this plan of their’s out over a year now joke big joke …..
They are not homes, they are cheaply slapped together rabbit hutches
It’s all about the developers profits and nothing else. Everything else is simply not their concern.
will have a doctors surgery and its not lack of doctors the problem but the premises?thats halarious! and utter bs
doctors surgeries NOW are pretty much empty and ARE fit for purpose far as seeing patients goes.lacking in services agreed.
..its the lazy money grabbing doctors who arent fit for purpose.
how can you think youll magically get docs surgery on new site? when you cant even get appointmentd anywhere else lol
oh but next theyll be having there own dentists too? joke
yes the only thing doctors need to expand is a second telephone line and someone to answer it.
There’s no way our dear Isle of Wight Council will turn this down. The more council tax paid the better should be their adopted motto. More brown envelopes delivered to county hall. This island used to be spacious and a pleasure to live on. Getting worse by the day.
It rained today and the islands drains cannot cope.
Fix the drainage etc first before building more properties.
They are ruining this beautiful Island it really does make me want to cry.
I know the feeling. Very few in authority care for the Island as we do, and no matter where you live, the ruination of enmasse building still spreads the often vile inhabitants to other, quite areas and makes the roads unsafe, and properties prone to theft.
Yet the damage to wildlife is beyond belief and they have no voice of their own to tell the tale.
‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’