The Isle of Wight CPRE, the countryside charity, has joined growing calls for a specific landscape designation for the Island.
The idea of a unified new Island status is being championed by Bob Seely MP, and already has the support of the Isle of Wight Council and ANOB partnership.
The status seeks to recognise the value of the Island’s natural capital as an integrated whole, as opposed to the existing arrangements consisting of fragmented designations.
Ian Wellby, Trustee of the Isle of Wight CPRE, has said:
“We welcome Bob Seely’s efforts in Westminster to achieve a single, unified landscape designation for the Island. Our unique landscapes, incredibly diverse natural habitats and nationally important flora and fauna need recognising and protecting with a ‘Whole Island’ approach. Our existing protections are fragmented. The AONB is in 6 separate pieces, and misses critical natural assets such as Brading marshes. Islanders, by contrast, think of the Island as a coherent and unified whole”
“As well as protecting our natural capital, an ‘Island Designation’ would preserve and enhance the Island’s key tourism assets – undisturbed countryside, sweeping vistas, history, heritage, and outdoor lifestyle – and hence will be a significant boost to our tourism economy. Equally, such a designation would benefit other sectors including allowing our farmers and food producers to better brand their products.”
“Bob’s doing a sterling job in making the case for a whole-Island designation as a commonsense next step for the Isle of Wight to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future. This is exactly the sort of issue where a united Island front is needed, and it’s fantastic to see the MP, Council and ANOB working together for the good of the Island.”
Bob Seely MP said:
“CPRE have done great work over the years here on the Island, from commissioning research to better understand the Island’s housing market through to championing the wishes of Islanders over those seeking to urbanise our landscapes – it’s great to have them on board as we work towards a ‘Whole Island’ landscape designation.”
With the council and developers hell bent on concreting over all green land this seems rather pointless
Shut up Bob. The correct designation is NATIONAL PARK. Stop all this nonsense and get it sorted, so we can put a stop to all of this needless construction and destruction of important habitats. The only way to save the island from developers is NATIONAL PARK status.
Our the poor cousin to the mainland status.
Save what you can be fore it’s to late if it’s not to late already
‘CPRE have done great work over the years here on the Island’
‘to better understand the Island’s housing market’
‘championing the wishes of Islanders’
Well, personally, I had to look up who CPRE were, because I’d never heard of them. And, perhaps it’s no wonder, given that they’re obviously completely ineffectual at having any influence at stopping the Council agreeing to houses being built anywhere and everywhere across the Island.
As for ‘championing the wishes of Islanders’, well, that’s simply a joke.
Bob has been attempting to get this resolved for at least seven years to my knowledge & maybe longer. I can only assume certain people here and in Westminster are dragging their feet & being otherwise obstructive. Moreover there remains the issue of ferry costs for resident Islanders to resolve, which was met by a slap in the face for all of us by Government claiming there was fair competition between the ferry companies. Meanwhile said Companies continue to spend millions on new craft, while hundreds of Islanders can only dream of travel to England! It’s only a free country for some of us. The words “grossly unfair” spring to mind!