Housing affordable for Islanders, a requirement for some holiday lets to get planning permission and a reduction in the number of new houses built – these are among changes made to the Isle of Wight Council’s new ‘planning bible’.
Following months of consultation and revisions, the authority has proposed what it hopes will be one of the final draft versions of the Island Planning Strategy (IPS).
The strategy will, once approved, be the council’s planning guide, setting policies it will have to follow for the next 15 years.
Speaking in September when the draft was out for consultation, Councillor Paul Fuller, cabinet member for planning, said the strategy would be the council’s weapon against mass development.
Recent changes have been shaped by the consultation responses, where more than 2,800 comments were received.
So, what are the changes?
- A minor reduction in the annual proposed housing number from 486 dwellings a year down to 479
- Setting a clear affordable housing definition, suitable for Islanders at a bigger discount – around 30 to 50% less than market value
- Housing proposed at the former Camp Hill prison in Parkhurst has shrunk from 1,200 units to 750
- A new policy to ensure infrastructure across the Island is supported — with developments making an ‘appropriate contribution’ either through new provisions or upgrades
- Developments will have to meet net-zero targets as part of ambitions for sustainable construction
- A new policy where the biosphere, and its ‘fundamental importance’, must be considered in all applications
- A policy that will require people wishing to change their homes in core tourist areas into holiday lets for over 140 days a year to get planning permission.
- A review of all potential housing sites
The reduction in housing figures has also lowered the number of houses expected in some areas of the Island.
How many houses are proposed in your area in the next 15 years?
- Cowes, Gurnard and Northwood – 962
- East Cowes – 407
- Newport – 2,006
- Ryde – 1,321
- Sandown, Shanklin and Lake – 243
- Bembridge – 159
- Ventnor – 10
- Freshwater and Totland – 224
- Wootton – 69
- Arreton – 42
- Brighstone – 55
- Godshill – 100
- Nettlestone – 17
- Rookley – 28
- Wellow – 16
- Yarmouth – 26
The council has in the last few years been determining planning applications with sanctions imposed on the authority, due to a lack of house building. t is hoped the new strategy will combat those sanctions and argue the case for lower government-set housing targets.
The DIPS will be discussed at 3 council meetings in the next two weeks where it will be determined whether to progress it to the next stage of consultation before it is sent to the Secretary of State for review.
All local authorities in England need an up-to-date planning strategy by the end of 2023.
You can view the latest draft here at www.iow.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s7790/Appendix%201%20-%20Island%20Planning%20Strategy%20April%202022.pdf.
Wish I hadn’t responded, waste of my time.
Essentially the strategy is to allow Ryde and Newport to become busier and more unpleasant places to live in.
This new policy about infrastructure is a joke. Laying down a few hundred metres of a shared path is not infrastructure to support thousands more cars and people.
no mention of “how much oxygen producing, C02 removing trees and how many natural habitats/greenfields/plant life will be lost in your area” in the article.
No mention of how many additional schools, GPs, dentists etc will be built as well to accommodate the rise in population.
I can tell you the answer, none.
No mention of ensuring the NHS can cope !!!!
Nor where they are getting Doctors Nurses Dentists from !!!!!
And as you say how many trees and Greenfield s will be lost ?????
Why doe we need all these thousands of new homes? Our own population is not growing and our kids can’t afford to buy their own homes so who are all these Whitehall dictated new houses for ? (I think we all now the answer but nobody seems to consider 10 new million arrivals since 1997 and growing affects the requirement to concrete over everywhere)
Utter MADNESS! Just imagine all those extra cars we can’t cope now even !!!!!!!
We’ve had migration in the hundreds of thousands for decades now, no surprises when there are no houses.
Thought they said 2000 people (islanders ) are in need of housing !!!!
Therefore surely affordable housing should be TOP priority only for islanders not 2nd home owners or air b and bs ….
Either rentals or rent to buy options for the island people ….
We don’t need posh houses and we don’t need building companies making vast profits for little offers of half a dozen affordable housing …
Let’s look after our own 1st and foremost ….
And the other question is where is BOB SEELY??????
never on this island we need an MP that will represent the islanders
Odg another plan! They never keep to any of them!
Oh, wow, ONS says fertility rate on IOW was above 1.8 in 2018, that’s actually quite good.
No Doctors in Newport. Please use chemists or Google.
Don’t worry, once that you have become a CITY you will have two Doctors and a post office.
Don’t forget some of the story’s in the “Bible” are fantasy
Does this mean once these targets are met, they will stop building and planning applications…nope not at all more houses less infrastructure says it all really
Why doesn’t our lovely council just concrete over the whole Island. We don’t want ANY more houses, the island roads can’t cope as it is. Cut down on all the second homes which are empty for most of the year and are killing our villages.
The council informed me they was not going to build 1000 homes on Camp hill site, ? maybe thats why , St Marys roundabout was alterd ,why St Goeges Way was alterd ,why the lights at coppins bridge was alterd, now you will get 750 houses which means up to 3,000 converging on to Coppins bdge ,1,500 cars , 3,000 more paitients at St Marys ,let alone schools ,doctors ,infrastructure , dentist , Jobs , ,it goes on and on ,maybe this council is after an increas in council tax , they cant even get the floating bridge right ,but a complete disregard to the enviroment.