A beach sports arena, saltwater pool and re-wilded glamping could all be coming to Sandown seafront as part of major regeneration plans in The Bay.
After plans were scrapped to build a major £33million dinosaur-themed amusement park, new ideas are being worked up for Culver Parade and Yaverland by the Isle of Wight Council.
A stakeholder meeting was held earlier this month which Councillor Jonathan Bacon, the finance, climate change and biosphere lead for the Isle of Wight Council, said was exciting with a lot of positivity on how partners can work together to take forward the future of Browns Golf Course, Dinosaur Island and the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.
Speaking at a council cabinet meeting on Thursday last week, he said it would also include some more original ideas, like a saltwater pool and a beach sports arena which had been championed by Community Action Isle of Wight.
The Wildheart Trust is also hoping to expand and diversify its income, turning some of its land into a rewilded glamping facility, which would allow guests to immerse themselves in wildlife and connect with the biosphere.
The plans would also incorporate the work needed on sea defences at Yaverland, which the council says could be breached within the next 5-10 years. The Victorian sea wall and groynes are coming to the end of their lives and require regular ongoing patch and repair maintenance, the authority said.
It is looking at options for the next 100 years but hopes to start initial projects in the coming years which could extend the life of the coastal defences by 30 to 35 years.
Current leader, Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, said they needed to be ‘clever’ with what they are planning but it was really important to keep the natural area for Islanders to hopefully use for free in perpetuity. She said it was a very special piece of land which dinosaurs and Romans had walked on and it needs to be treated sensitively.
A document is currently being drafted which will set out the vision for the area and an action plan on how it can be brought forward.
Major Regeneration Plan for the Bay will be music to the ears for many. Let’s hope it happens. Hooray for this.
What about the elephants in the room, the onçe was Ocean Hotel, Savoy site and the empty derelicts on Culver Parade?
Likely end up with captiva building several apartment blocks to ‘fund’ the project, that is how this council work, promise all the things people ‘want’ to hear, like free, sports, re-wilding but keep very quite about the huge amount of destruction, not for a while but forever of nature.
Don’t trust them, for part of their plan revolves around leaving areas to be vandalized and left an eyesore, so, then, after years of such, the brow beaten public are only too pleased to see it built upon.
Don’t fool for their sly actions, and WE will be funding the pools etc for unemployed or tax credit parents to laze in all day, as they do the heights paying NOTHING,
Polishing the islands biggest turd. Will this increase our council tax?
Meanwhile in the town it will remain a crime ridden, drug ridden, festering pit of decay. Sort the town out first. This council are dumb beyond belief.
Well that’s extraordinary – I’m in the town and beach most days and never see crime, drugs or festering pits. I see happy, decent people facing a good time.
2 days before a vote of no confidence in the council leader these so called plans are leaked to the press, read into that what you will. lots of words come to mind ‘Pie and Sky’ or even ‘Fairy Tale’ might even be ‘Make Believe’.
Can you just imagine a couple of beach volley ball courts, a camp site and a salt water pool filled with contaminated sea water.
“Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, said they needed to be ‘clever’” – Well there is no hope of that with this mob.
It is looking at options for the next 100 years
ha ha ha …the likes of bacon was involved in the floating bridge fiasco, before it replaced the old one that had worked for decades.
seeing as the council cannot get seem to get anything right on a daily basis, what hope is there of them being right in a hundred years time.
more money claimed in meeting fees, for pointless meetings about plans for the year 2123 onwards.
So much potential in Sandown, but is this just all talk.
With the well deserved reputation of the council, talk and actual improvements are a world apart, we hope to get going in the coming years, what does that mean, do you have a plan that is actually written down and developed to the point of implementation or is yet agin all hot air.
100 years! Has this council not realised that many coastal resorts will be underwater in 100 years, so why waste money on new coastal defences. Runaway global warming will also lead to the total breakdown of society. The council should be planning for a Mad Max scenario. Those Palmerston forts will be ideal under that scenario.
It’s a theory .So far New York has failed to sink as predicted as have the Maldives .
Many sea levels have gone down.Never talked about.
Yes repair sea defences ,make Brown’s open again run by council..
Just cut the grass and tend flowers in Sandahsm Gardens ,it’s almost abandoned these days.Its gammon sense not needing action plans.
Maybe dont make it so extortionate to park for the day.
The state that Sandown is in now is years in the making by previous decision makers and policy makers who clearly did not have the towns interest at heart.
Instead of lambasting the current decision makers let them do what they have said. Sandown has enormous potential and I can see it being turned around by positivity and people investing there time. I am no longer on the island but often come back but my friend is a resident and she gives her own time with numerous other green town volunteers to help keep Sandown clean and tidy. Imagine what the town would be like without these selfless volunteers…it can be the best place on the island as long as everyone pulls in the same direction.
This won’t happen overnight but takes time.
Need some people with brains on the case. Sandown should be the best resort in the country with its weather and beach. The problem is that small-minded local councillors are only interested in lining their pockets from small-time projects. Big investment is required to transform the town into an up-market year-round destination for people who spend money. A few beach volleyball courts and a smelly pool is not going to cut it.
Let’s hope it’s better than Ryde Transport hub.Not more cash zooming to consultants and contractors hor little gain.
And there are the two famous words again(could be) so thats a none starter but lots if got know we’re meetings.
Of course there are the two words ‘climate change’ in there which will mean any ‘regeneration’ will simply start by making life miserable for motorists, reducing parking, raising charges for any spaces left and then when they’ve taken all that away, they’ll deliver a complete lack of anything attractive to anybody because whatever they do will be geared to sanctimonious claims they are ‘saving the planet’, not making the place enjoyable for holiday-makers or families – you can see it unfolding like a slow motion eco-bicycle crash
The same council that can’t even get the revetment toilets open and running.
Pathetic.
No chance as those responsible for delivering scheme will be made redundant