Residents of an Isle of Wight village are frustrated with the lack of decision on a housing development and have formed a protest group – Locals Against Whitwell Sprawl (LAWS).
Plans for more than 20 houses on a field off Whitwell High Street were 1st submitted in October 2021 and a decision was supposed to have been made by the Isle of Wight Council in January 2022 but the decision deadline has been extended.
Explaining the situation, a Council spokesperson said the planning department raised a number of concerns around the proposals for 22 houses with the applicant, Perry Properties. As a result, the developers have addressed issues and provided further information to the authority.
The application, 21/01827/FUL, must now be determined by the end of October, which the Council said will allow it time to see if it can arrive at a decision, or if required, go to the planning committee.
The extension, however, has frustrated and angered residents, say a group objecting to the application, as they await the future of the field.
A Council spokesperson said the authority recognises residents’ concerns and shares their desire for the application to be determined at the earliest opportunity. They said it is expected a decision will be made within the extended time frame of October.
The development, which would be accessed from the High Street, had been described as suitable for the village location, in planning documents.
Multiple objections have been submitted by residents during the stages of plans, raising concerns over access issues, flood risks, the removal of parking on the High Street and the loss of a greenfield site.
A statement from LAWS has highlighted the issues with the application and said the village does not have the infrastructure to support the size of development, nor would the development add anything to the village.
How many times do I have to say it! Go build them in some poor place on the mainland. Not Whitwell!
only 20 should be 1000+ the island needs new homes whitwell is as good as any. there’s all that land on that island going to waste you have Brighstone. Atherfield. Chale. and Niton just need to make the roads a bit wider
It’s only twenty houses for goodness sake!
Another greenfield site – and yet the IOW Council state they will prioritise brownfield sites! How many of the 22 houses are genuinely affordable – as defined by the IOW Council in their Affordability document – and how many of the Whitwell families struggling to rent or buy will be able to afford them? Hopefully Mr Bacon and all the other Councillors who unanimously voted for the Ocean Crisis motion will reject this application.
People would be less anti new housing if they could see real progress in improving health care facilities for the Island. At the present time the Island is suffering a REDUCTION of Doctors, Dentists etc.
If YOU were a top councillor or developer THAT fact would not bother you as you and your loved ones would have private dentistry and health care along with private education, all funded by the plebs you impose this unwanted housing upon
Would YOU honestly care if you had such and lived miles away the plight of people you see as beneath you? Well they clearly don’t
Funny how developers often refer to land with no buildings on it as ‘undeveloped’ or ‘going to waste’… I call it countryside!
I’m all for it, I live in Chale & I’m tryin to do a swap nearer Ventnor innit
How do you go about getting on the list Tammy? I’m a single mum with 4 kids in a 2 bed council flat on a busy road in Oakfield, I’d love a garden or a quiet road where my 4 can play out front
Use FREE contraception or abort but then YOU would not have a rent free flat and hundreds a week in tax credits hence you would rather give your children a rubbish life to avoid doing full time work and sleeping with a decent guy.
You bred it you pay for it
You sound a horrible person with a poisoned mind. For all you know Tracey could be a widow. But I will concede – nobody needs to have four kids these days.
Harsh! Could be 2 sets of twins for all you know
And it could be four different one night stands scrot content for ‘all YOU know’, either way we are no doubt funding the whole familys lazy lifestyle.
Quiet Road? Whitwell high Street
We need to protect this beautiful island from overdevelopment and overpopulation, which will worsen the very real housing and employment deficits and problems that we are forced to endure already… We’re just a small island!!
If only we could find enough brave people to stand up and fight against this, Matrix Ideology!!
Are these going to be ‘affordable homes’ for islanders only?
Real islanders? or overners that call themselves islanders?
More buildings not needed.
STOP taking away the Islands beautiful countryside.