The Isle of Wight Council looks set to sell off a busy car park and partially derelict site in Shanklin to make way for the Island’s first ‘Apart-Hotel’, complete with 30 rooms, 14 private apartments and 4 commercial units.
It’s been on the cards for years, but the redevelopment of the Spa site on the Esplanade at Shanklin seems to be progressing – but it will come at the cost of a loss of 38 car parking spaces on the already packed-out Esplanade.
In July 2021, as part of the Council’s Regeneration Strategy, the site was marketed to developers and investors, inviting interest in the delivery of a high-quality mixed-use development which would provide housing and commercial uses for the site and advance the regeneration of The Bay area. A total of 29 parties reviewed the marketing information, 6 parties confirmed interest, and in February 2022, 2 submitted detailed bids.
Now, following appraisal and assessment of the bids, the Council’s Regeneration Board has chosen a preferred proposal – although the bidder remains a secret. It is known that the preferred bidder is an Isle of Wight developer with a proven track record over the last 15 years of delivering redevelopment quickly and employ 50 Isle of Wight construction workers and consultants.
Under the recommended plan, which is subject to planning permission, the redeveloped site would include:
- A 30 room Apart-Hotel
- 14 residential apartments, each with 1 allocated car parking space
- Up to 4 retail/commercial units on the ground floor, bringing café culture and a ‘vibrant and active frontage’
- 7 refurbished workshops/start-up spaces at the rear, within the existing derelict brick arches
- A new climbing wall on the existing cliff retaining structure, promoting healthy activity, particularly for young people
- A landscaped garden for occupiers of the development
- 40 pay & display public car parking spaces returned to the council
The Apart-Hotel would be the first on the Island, offering high quality short and longer-term tourism and business visit accommodation, typically for business guests during the working week. Accommodation would be able to be booked for weeks or months at a time and offers a hybrid of hotel services such as room service and cleaning, along with more self-sufficient accommodation similar to serviced apartments such as kitchenette facilities.
The residential apartments would adjoin the Apart-Hotel, sharing the same high quality design elements. Meanwhile, the ground floor commercial space would comprise of up to 4 retail/leisure/café bar/restaurant units, half of which already has interest from a café/bar operator.
7 derelict arches within the cliff retaining structure would be renovated to provide workshop /start-up /incubator units for new businesses and to enable fledgling local enterprises to expand.
The proposed scheme reduces the number of pay and display car parking spaces, from 78 car spaces plus coach spaces to 40 pay and display car parking spaces and no coach spaces – a loss of 38 car and coach spaces. The proposal suggests a shuttle bus service could operate to the Esplanade, and that coaches could park in the nearby Atherley Road council car park once holidaymakers have been dropped off.
The Shanklin Cliff Lift is to remain and is not part of the disposal.
Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:
“I think this proposal is a good one, and certainly makes a big improvement to Shanklin’s historic esplanade.
“The old building at the back of the current car park will be demolished at last and be replaced with amenities that will be more attractive to look at and use, and will bring more commercial prosperity to this area of the town.
“We are well aware of the need for new housing and start-up commercial space right across the Island, and this development offers both.
“It will also provide the Island’s first purpose-built apart-hotel, and a greater sense of place for visitors and residents alike.
“I expect the development to create an active and attractive frontage to the esplanade, and healthy activity opportunities for all ages.
“Since the loss of Shanklin Pier the area of the Spa site has been left without a focus, and I am very pleased that I now can recommend to cabinet such a strong proposal to put that right.”
Councillors are being recommended to approve the sale of the freehold interest in the Spa site to the preferred bidder when Cabinet meet on 16th June 2022.
This is brilliant news for Shanklin, and the whole of the island. Just a shame that it has taken so long to happen. Dare we hope that someone will be able to re-build Shanklin Pier sometime soon ?
Clearly what is happening is the worlds Governments are going to limit car ownership by pricing the masses off the road, hence car parks will be not as needed in the future.
As stated the Island will be a test bed for driverless cabs, which will be the main transport in the not too distant future.
Ordered and paid for on your phone, pin code sent for secure private entry for journey, drop you off and go on to next customer.
So less cars parked all day and used for only half hour journeys, meaning the well to do, who can afford private electric cars will be able to travel, park in comfort and ease as we all once did.
Good news but what happens to the residents around atherley rd it’s busy enough as it is and can be a nightmare for the locals to park their own cars never mind the tourists
I’m confused, Why does this affect atherley rd? This is on the seafront where the old toilets are by the lift.
Ahh I’ve just read that part! That’s one hell of a walk too from atherley rd. we have the same issue where I live, it’s s struggle to park anyway and then during the summer it’s impossible!
Whilst any refurbishment of the area has to be applauded it should be noted that the “nearby” Atherley road car park is actually a fair walk away and at the top of a steep walk up Hope road on the way back. Plus the loss of nearly half the available parking is a high price to pay.
I suspect if the shuttle busses do materialise (and remain) they won’t be cheap.
Of course we used to have shuttle busses in the form of the Dotto trains which were very popular until the council sold them off. So maybe there is hope.
It’s only Spa Car Park that’s shrinking. The road will still be covered in cars, as well as Esplanade Gardens Car Park and Hope Road Car Park. It’s no where near half the car spaces.
Looks swanky.
But my health and safety vibe is twitching. A kids climbing wall in a car park and bikes on pavements.
Hmmm, good point. We could get bikes off the pavement if we removed the on street parking and put in cycle lanes.
Better still, ban bikes and confiscate and crush any that are found in the area.
so one question remains here, how much are the council getting for this piece of vibrate car parking land
When they meet on 16th June ?????
If coaches are going to be allowed to park in Atherley Road car park then something needs to change and that’s the amount of cars parked on the road waiting for their meals. As manoeuvring round them is difficult enough for even a small cars
Don’t be fooled by the lies. The apartments will be for housing the influx of benefit seeking immigrants. Why else have “kitchenettes”?
What a monstrosity. Completely out of keeping with the area. We need both the car park and the toilets.
They haven’t been toilets for years and everything is fine
I trust that any prospective (preferred?!) buyer is fully appraised of the instability of the Cliff face/bank in that area. Only a short time ago, ground movement resulted in a sewer pipe fracturing, there has been a ‘landslip’ by Osborne steps, another up by the disused toilets, and the road at the top is sinking/subsiding…