The first residents and shared homeowners excitedly received their keys and unlocked their new front doors at Branstone Farm this week.
Branstone Farm has been jointly developed by the Isle of Wight Council and Vectis Housing Association and features 2, 3 and 4-bedroom properties for much-needed rental and shared ownership.
Each of the 42 affordable homes — a major achievement in support of the Island’s housing strategy — has been built to a high specification for energy efficiency to help reduce energy use.
The site also boasts an open green space to enjoy and connect with nature, a communal orchard and garden to grow and harvest produce, and activities and events to cultivate a sense of community among new residents.
Tracey Wagstaff, who has moved into one of the affordable private rental properties, said:
“Being a single parent of three children has been challenging with a constant worry of being asked to ‘move on’ at short notice.
“This is a new start for my little family with a new home, a new mobility car and my new ability dog, Honey, who I trained during lockdown.”
Martyn Pearl, chief executive officer at Vectis Housing Association, said:
“Branstone Farm is a major housing project for the Isle of Wight given the recognised shortage of affordable homes, particularly to support those households on medium and low incomes.”
Councillor Ian Stephens, Cabinet member for housing provision, said:
“I am delighted that the first residents have moved into their new homes at Branstone Farm. Our partnership with Vectis housing on this project is an example I want to see replicated on other council owned sites on the island, bringing our Biosphere vision to life.
“Addressing islander housing needs is a key priority for this administration and I want to put on record the contribution of Cllr Clare Mosdell in making this happen.
“The impact on people’s wellbeing of having a safe, secure home cannot be underestimated but also feeling part of a local community and having great access to green space must be key aspects of all the housing delivery this council supports.”
Very good news for the new residents AT LAST. But what is with all the self-congratulatory back slapping?? No mention of the absolute stress of so many people who tried to buy these and suffered delays after delays after delays. The failed sales, the expired mortgage offers. Not to mention the threats that if they didn’t shut up complaining then the offer to buy at all would be withdrawn from them!!. The delays were well reported on this site so why just the positive write up now? Not very balanced is it?
More of the island’s countryside destroyed, but I hope the overners enjoy their cheap housing, here’s a thought, unless you’re a local, if you can’t afford to buy a house somewhere maybe look somewhere else don’t expect to be given a cheap house while locals paying extortionate rents or rising mortgage payments. Would it be allowed for them to make it so only islanders can buy these properties? doubt there will be any improvements to roads, schools, etc so life just gets worse for the rest of us while the developers make millions in profits.About time this vectis housing realised their houses aren’t wanted here.
They ARE locals.
Can’t see them garden fences staying like that for long
Looks like the developers are trying to look good for once more over developing green space. Well it don’t wash mate. We don’t need more houses, the roads can’t cope, the police can’t cope and the hospital is in melt down, so they can’t cope either. “Boasting green space” it was anyway. Oh dear, how shallow the developers are.
So costing us all a fortune indirectly.
We are paying for a brand new hundreds of thousands of pounds home, paying for the mobility car, AND paying for three children along with the dogs food and care costs.
No small wonder craft arrive on our beaches to claim to be ‘unfortunates’ as if ‘classed’ as such you end up living better than those who work full time, just by doing a ‘few hours’ you are given it all.
It is NOT the Government who pay, but all of us.
No amount of thumbs down will detract from the truth.
well said ivy – too many sponging leeches here and more arriving – about time we had a government that actually cut the cash off the lot of them, kicked them out of hotels and told them – go back to france or whichever other safe country you travelled through getting here, or face being homeless and destitute on the streets of the uk – no more gravy train.
and a government that absolutely slashes the self entitled gravy train of benefits for born and bred uk layabouts as well
“This is a new start for my little family with a new home, a new mobility car and my new ability dog, Honey, who I trained during lockdown.
Jesus wept – anything else needed for the cradle to grave sponging off everyone else – how about you get a job or is that too much to ask
Lovely to see honey enjoying the garden we are puppy parents for the charity so well done an sure Alison is proud of you
So what’s the alternative?
Kids taken into care and growing up into the kind of people you hate?
This is a decent woman who clearly loves and cares for her kids.
You, on the other hand, are a piece of self entitled filth.
based on your logic – paarthurnax – all the hardworking, taxpaying mothers aren’t then – why should she be given cradle to grave cash at taxpayers expense,when others are working their socks off and seeing their hard earned taken by force in the form of taxation and handed to every sob story and leech going.
how about she does what the rest do – get a job, pay childminders and you know – support herself.
Well said isle of wighter! It’s a shame this country’s gone the way it has! It seems it’s just full of absolute melts like the cretin paarthurnax, it’s do gooders, helping every sob story that’s out there, that is ruining this country!
Based on your logic, you absolute filth, you would be sending anyone who doesn’t come up to your standards to the “showers”.
If she is getting mobility car it means she is high score disability, the reason she also has a helper dog. She has two children also. You have to have a lot of high disability to get a car so how about dome of you awful people have compassion
I used to demonstrate mobility cars in Berkshire. Many of those customers requested cars for a disabled relative. But in fact they only took the relatives out once a week, the rest of the week the able bodied person used the car for their own use. So I’m afraid it’s very easy to get a mobility car.
Brilliant news for islanders. Well done Vectis. You’ve helped so many people.
The homes should be given to those that have been on the housing register for a long time & who are actually from the island. Too many end up jumping the queue. Start putting islanders first. Funny how mainland councils can get rid of some of their overflow on the island too..
One minute people are moaning that not enough affordable houses are built and when they are people still complain.
Make up your minds
The people moaning about people getting affordable homes are the usual far right loons who hate anyone and everything that isn’t them.
The young, the poor, the disabled, foreigners, the unemployed, they hate them all.
Those of us who aren’t bitter and twisted selfish old farts welcome this.
give it a rest timms – your hand wringing, do gooding is the reason this country is such a mess
No, the reason the country is in such a mess is your far-right nuckle dragging gobshytery.
12 years of Tories in charge and the country getting deeper in the shyte every time they lurch further to the right to satisfy their swivel-eyed thicko Express reading supporters.
As the first Chief Executive of Vectis Housing Association, I am delighted that the legacy left by its erstwhile forward thinking board, has created the foundations to facilitate the potential for the Association’s ability to provide ongoing local affordable homes for local people. At the same time, I do not believe there is merit in the comments of those who would search for any morsel of criticism that would decry the moral rationale behind the provision of such accommodation.
Building on existing green space and then claiming that it is “boasting green space” is a bit ridiculous as the green space was there anyway. Speaking of morals, no way is it good to place more concrete boxes on this tiny island when the infrastructure can’t cope, I’ve said this before and will continue to say it. If you liked it at Vectis Housing so much, why did you leave? Not enough brown envelopes maybe?
Sorry, but that just sounds like the gobbledegook a politician would spout out.
I have no issue one way or another about this particular development but I just don’t like pretentious PR statements such as this.
Write it in normal English and stop trying to be clever with your wording, it doesn’t do you any favours.