There was a mix of anger, frustration and disbelief at Thursday night’s public meeting for Wootton residents who are concerned over the latest changes to the planning application to extract gravel at Palmers Farm. Despite the school holidays, it was standing room only with over 120 people attending the meeting organised by Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton Against Gravel Extraction (WAGE). Top of the agenda were the amendments submitted by Wight Building Materials, to revise the access along Palmers Road onto Lushington Hill. Those living along the proposed route were incredulous that a residential road, where large vehicles already struggle to pass oncoming traffic and with a narrow pinch point just before the junction with Lushington Hill, was now being proposed as a viable access route. 8 wheel, 32 tonne when loaded, lorries will generate an average of 38x 2-way trips per day but this could be as many as 50 movements at certain times. The public meeting came hot on the heels of a visit earlier in the week by Bob Seely, until recently the Isle of Wight MP and now Conservative candidate for Isle of Wight West. He talked at some length with Palmers Road residents about the impact of the proposals on this quiet suburban community and saw for himself the issues relating to road width and safety particularly at the junction onto Lushington Hill. A spokesperson for WAGE said:
“The lack of a suitable access route has always been a key objection to this application. We are pleased local residents are willing to contribute to a new ‘Fighting Fund’ to allow us to commission the further legal and specialist reports now needed to support our arguments. We continue to urge the IOW Council to reject this application on multiple grounds and consider the other options available to meet the Island’s future aggregates needs.”
Councillor Sarah Redrup, who represents Wootton Bridge, is calling on the Council to listen to locals:
“So far there are over 100 objections to the plans to extract gravel at Palmers Farm from residents, community groups, charities and three Parish Councils. I am urging the Isle of Wight Council not to ignore the very real and legitimate concerns that the community are raising. “I have asked the Local Planning Authority to take this application to the Isle of Wight Planning Committee, because the community deserve an opportunity to be heard.”
At Thursday’s meeting, she pointed out that Wootton residents aren’t the only ones concerned about gravel extraction quarries:
“We aren’t the only community who are concerned about gravel extraction happening so close to people’s homes, we only need to look over the water to see what has happened in Hamble. 39 Health Professionals signed a petition protesting plans to dig a quarry on the former Hamble Airfield.”
The public consultation period runs until the 14th June. Residents wanting to submit their objections to the plans should do so using the Isle of Wight Council’s planning website or writing to the planning department using the reference 22/00654/FUL.
It’s only Wootton, who cares if they dig it up? It’s packed with Tory voters anyway, so what’s the big deal?
stop gravel extraction – says the woman standing in front of her gravel covered driveway – ha ha where did that gravel come from – jeez these are special kinds of NIMBYS.
Just a couple of facts for the trolls out there. Both digging and transporting aggregates releases silica dust into the air, particles which are known to cause a number of diseases including lung cancer. For this reason the World Health Organisation suggests gravel should not be mined within 1000 m of residential areas.
Secondly, the IOW council appraised all the potential gravel sites on the island in 2010 and categorised the Palmers Farm site as “least preferred” because the only way in and out of the site was through unsuitable residential roads. Why should they take a different decision now ?
Big business vs the community, good luck but as we know this council are as corrupt as hell and all they are concerned with is the cash they can get as back handers to push this through. Don’t expect any good news to come from this. This will cause, damaged roads, cracked water, sewage pipes, subsidence, a danger to people walking, a danger to other traffic, pollution. Greed usually wins out, but let’s see.
Truth is, people there likely couldn’t care less about things like Bullen village, or Pennyfeather, or the building on fields at Bembridge, and people living in those areas, couldn’t care less about their plight.
Authorities will play the game, the residents will pay solicitors who, maybe in cohoots with those they pretend to be against, and all that happens is residents end up more stressed, poorer whilst the authorities get what they want anyway.
A defeatist view, certainly, but sadly likely a correct one.
And if this was in the middle of nowhere there would be no complaints at all this is the typical case of not on my doorstep. Bet there was no one from Freshwater or Ventnor at the meeting.
Umm, if it was in the middle of ‘nowhere’ then site access would not be a problem. The problem here is the location is in the ‘middle of somewhere’ with large trucks travelling along a relatively narrow road, not really a case of ‘not on my doorstep’ when there are genuine concerns over safety.
Large lorries travel all over the island on skinny roads every day. Ever thought of how did all the houses round that area get built well guess what large lorries needed.This is a case of not on my doorstep
Would you want it on YOUR doorstep? Residents are taking perfectly reasonable action, and their case should be heard. And the rest of us, and wildlife, would see desecration of these lovely rural roads if the scheme went ahead, and be very upset by it
So I was correct then Mary it is a case of not on my doorstep so if it was on my doorstep in cowes would you be protesting for me?
Wrong in so many ways. Not all lorries carry carcinogens. Building houses does not require 50 lorries a day for ten years. Just try thinking before you tap “post”.
Probably the same as no one from Wootton, Arreton and Whippingham at the public meetings re the road access to Ventnor, but I have known freshwater residents objecting to plans in Ventnor because their friends living nearby asked them to and swell the numbers against it even though it will never affect them. People love to moan, it’s what the English do best.
We’re ALL affected by loss of rural areas and wildlife habitat.
It’s natural that the people most affected will always be the ones most up in arms. If we all looked after our own back yard and were taken notice of, the world would be a better place. I wonder why certain people here object to that? I wonder.
People who live in residential areas understandably want to keep their peaceful quite way of life, but many people all over the UK are having their lives ruined by large scale immigration, anti social behaviour from social housing tenants being shoe-horned into every available green space, with cars vandalised, homes broken into and physically assaulted and constant verbal attacks.
Yet I wonder with these residents just how many see no harm in mass immigration, or having swathes of countryside built over to eventually house such, so long as it is not near them?
All they endure is more traffic ,which many people have to experience every day.
As retired, just means cleaning the car more often, or paying an imm, to do so.
It’s not just social housing that cause anti-social behavior
You have to be a special kind of special to tie some people complaining about the possibility of gravel lorries driving down their road with immigration.
I take it those mystery millions having thier lives alledgedly ruined by all these immigrants arent the ones being treated by them in NHS or have elderly relatives being cared by them?
A lot of them are and, sadly, international staff suffer an awful lot of racist abuse. While, for example, a British black or Asian heathcare worker will report incidents of racism, international staff generally don’t.
Typical bring in immigration, this is about gravel extraction you racist prick.
It’s as if you dont think it’s people like you and me you’re talking about, except they’re in dire straits and we’re not.
Wow! That leap from gravel extraction to large scale immigration is gargantuan. Ever thought about entering for the Olympics?
Build a suitable jetty and take it out by sea if it’s so desperately needed, then ship it to Medina Wharf and truck it to St Georges by main roads. Personally I think we should be stopping all major developments on this overcrowded Island then we wouldn’t need the gravel. Sell it to the North Island.
At last, someone with common sense. Please get a job at island roads, and beat them in to shape!
‘Stop gravel extraction’, and the woman is standing literally in front of a gravel driveway.
Where do these people think the gravel they use comes from?
If someone else is inconvenienced by the gravel extraction, I guess that’s ok, so long as it’s not done near me?
And thats their local councillor…..
Typical winging Wootton, get over it it’s going to happen.
Just put the crappie merc on your drive, and not block the road as usual hahaha
“EMOTIONS RUN HIGH AT PUBLIC MEETING OVER LATEST WOOTTON GRAVEL EXTRACTION PLANS”. 10 mins in to the meeting,all the boxes of tissues had been handed out .
There were so many tears ,the firebrigade had to pump out the hall. Residents refused to go home unless they got a voucher for dry cleaning hahaha
Old farts everywhere and every where
You back again imposter mummy will be made with you she knows about your liking for young boys
Old vc loves little kids we all know that
I pray for you all, if you want a private prayer , come see me in church Sunday.
Bartholomew Jones the name.
What a load of baloney, nothing else to moan about, could be worse
they could be living in an area full of migrants.
Move on, you don’t realise how lucky you are.