The Isle of Wight Council has welcomed a visit from the President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as part of a 2-day tour championing the power of planning across the South East.
RTPI President Helen Fadipe, joined by RTPI Southeast Chair Reece Lemon and board member Claire Tester, visited both Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight for this year’s RTPI Presidential Visit, which highlights key planning work being carried out by local authorities and partners.
Last Thursday (23rd October), the delegation arrived on the Isle of Wight and met with the council’s Planning Team at Seaclose Office in Newport, followed by a walking tour of Newport Harbour and an evening networking session.
The visit continued on Friday with a site tour of Three Oaks on Horsebridge Hill – a 100% affordable housing development in Newport. The major project is a joint initiative between the Isle of Wight Council, Sovereign Network Group (SNG), and Captiva Homes.
Ollie Boulter, Strategic Manager for Planning and Infrastructure at the Isle of Wight Council, has said:
“We were really pleased to host the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) President and her team. Being able to demonstrate what a wonderful collaborative project Three Oaks is and the benefits it will bring to those needing housing on the Island.
“I would personally like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making this visit so successful and we continue to look forward and maintain and grow our relationship with partners and the RTPI.”
Captiva Homes CEO Iain Delaney said:
“Three Oaks is a project that delivers on so many fronts for Islanders. As well as 145 truly affordable homes, it’s being delivered by local companies, which has supported jobs and created apprenticeships. It delivers a play park for the local community and, thanks to cooperation with SNG and the Isle of Wight Council, it’s been delivered at pace.
“Planning consent was issued in March ’24, and the first homes are ready for Island families to move in this month.”
He added:
“When Captiva first brought this project forward, we set out to prove that local private sector developers could make a real difference to affordable housing delivery on the Island. The partnership secured with SNG has been instrumental in securing the £30m investment to deliver these homes and cross-function support from the Council & Island Roads has been critical to the timeline being achieved.
“Collectively, we are now delivering the largest affordable housing project the Island has seen in decades, and we are proud to be helping make a life changing difference to many Island families.”
Jenny Grote, Assistant Director of New Business (East) at Sovereign Network Group, commented:
“SNG is proud to already manage over 4,000 homes across the Isle of Wight, and we’re delighted to be building on that long-standing commitment by working in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and Captiva to bring forward much-needed new homes at Three Oaks.
“These new homes are built to our Homes and Place Standard, meaning they will be high-quality, energy-efficient and designed to stand the test of time. We’re passionate about creating places where people can thrive, and this development will provide affordable homes that are not only fit for today but are also future proofed for generations to come.
“It’s exciting to be part of a shared vision to deliver sustainable housing on the Island, helping to meet local need while supporting a greener future.”
Councillor Warren Drew, Chair of the Isle of Wight Council’s Planning Committee, said:
“Such a visit really brings the decisions of the Planning Committee to life and shows what a difference the decisions we make can have for those on the Island.
“Understanding the impact of our decisions is important to inform our decision-making in the future. It’s always fantastic when national bodies take an interest in our Island, so to welcome the RTPI President and team was a great opportunity for us. We know that planning is often an emotive issue, due to the decisions that we make on a daily basis; so, to be able to share our experiences in the national context and to showcase the work that we do was edifying.”
The final stop of the visit was East Cowes, where the RTPI team were shown recent and planned public realm improvements, renovation work on the Victoria Barracks building, and the complementary efforts between council-led projects and private investment.
A visit to Wight Shipyard and the Columbine Building concluded the tour, showcasing the Island’s continued leadership in maritime manufacturing.
Reece Lemon MRTPI, RTPI Southeast Chair, commented:
“The RTPI actively seeks to champion plans, projects and people across the regions, and we were thrilled to centre the successes of the Isle of Wight teams on this year’s Presidential Visit to the Southeast.
“The challenges of planning on the Island are numerous, giving rise to a particularly impactful set of study tours demonstrating excellence, enthusiasm and ambition at all levels. We are grateful to the teams, councillors, and developer-agents for taking the time to share their experiences with us.”
The council has said it was a pleasure to welcome guests from the RTPI and share a glimpse of the unique planning work happening across the Isle of Wight.
Anything more than 100 k is not affordable,and these shoeboxes are not even worth that,low wages on the island dictate that no young people can afford them,and lets not forget the outrageous council tax on a two bed shoebox will be nearly as much as the mortgage!
all this fun to listen to your neighbour take a dump,as most new builds are badly internally insulated.
youngsters that dont have help from bank of mum and dad are stuffed.
That is very true, even Banks of Mum and Dad are
feeling the pinch under this current Government.
What affordable homes? And that’s if you can get a well paid job on the island?!
After the next Labour budget on 26th November
there will be more job losses.
The only safe jobs are the public sector Jobs.
Many shirk, oops I mean work from home and
get UNLIMITED sick pay.
The Budget does not affect public sector workers
it only affects private sector workers.
I’m sure these houses will be full of migrants.