“If a development is going to happen, let’s make it the best we can” – that’s from the Island-based firm behind plans for 130 new homes in Bembridge, who have announced their intention to submit a planning application to the Isle of Wight Council.
Captiva Homes have launched a new website to explain, in detail, the proposed housing development on the corner of Mill Road and the High Street, which will see a mix of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5-bedroom energy-efficient properties built.
Planning permission for the ‘Middleton’ scheme is due to be submitted to the Isle of Wight Council soon and is expected to highlight that 46 of the new homes will be classed as affordable, of which 70% will be available to rent.
Middleton will feature a Georgian-style garden square at its heart and a 5-metre-wide wildlife corridor around its perimeter. It’s said that the development will sympathetically integrate with the existing village and provide open spaces for all to enjoy. Based on feedback, a number of small and flexible studio spaces are to be built into the scheme to accommodate small, independent businesses and the work-from-home movement.
James Pink, director of Captiva Homes and a Bembridge resident himself, has written an open letter to locals to explain why they are exploring this opportunity and to answer any questions or concerns that locals may have.
Mr Pink has said:
“When this site officially came to the market 18 months ago, we turned down the opportunity to bid. My initial thoughts were that the site was too close to home (having lived in the village my entire life and Captiva Homes being Bembridge-based) and that the topic would be a delicate one amongst my friends and neighbours. “As time passed, it became increasingly apparent that this site will be developed by someone. I felt that the risk was too high that the wrong type of development for Bembridge could be brought forward by someone solely motivated by profit. At this point the team at Captiva Homes became passionate that if the land is going to be built on, it would be better developed by local people who care about the community. Through responsible development, we could ensure maximum protection for the area.
“One of the biggest challenges I feel that we have in the village is the price barrier of local property. We lose our youth and young families because they cannot afford to purchase a home. Personally, having served on the Bembridge Lifeboat for the last 20 years, I have seen first-hand the shortage of young members able to join. I am one of the youngest crew, and that is saying something! We have also seen the loss of our local fire station through a lack of able volunteers.
“As part of our engagement with the community, we ran a number of focus groups over the last three months to discuss their needs and wants. After considering the needs of the local community, and our Island housing crisis, our plans for the development that we are calling Middleton (in a nod to one of the historic Bembridge settlements), include up to 130 ‘heritage style’ one, two, three, four and five bedroom homes. “I understand that this will be concerning to some people, however, a national housebuilder would build (on average) 35 homes per hectare whereas we are proposing just 21.6 homes per hectare, with a fair mix of high quality and affordable family homes. Our motivation is to prevent a large site of 210 homes, or alternatively, a small number of unaffordable, large, luxury houses aimed at second home owners”.
Further engagement with the local community is due to take place through focus groups and a public exhibition is being held at Bembridge Primary School from 18:30-20:30 tonight (Wednesday).
Captiva is currently building other Island properties at Highwood Grove in Rookley, Lily Cross Farm in Godshill and West Acre Park in Ryde.
Can I just take the opportunity to say to Mr Pink that although I do not like the rapid development of homes within estates across the Island, and despair of increased traffic on our roads, etc. that in all honesty these homes look so much better than most, as the extra care taken regarding the appearance of them has a huge impact. I still really wish though that it was mandatory to give a green space for children to play on and adults to socialise because it always promotes a safer and happier environment; and although it means sacrificing the number of houses, it does increase the desirability of them because it is so beneficial and much more attractive.
Yes we’re gonna have a “kerching”
A summer smoker underground
It’s just some dug outs Mr Pink built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
It’s got solar panels and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier.
And if you believe that you will believe anything. Second homes for sure. Kerching!
More money for the ferries, bet they re laughing all the way to the bank !!
They look nice and good for island families to stay on the island as long as they don’t become second homes for the rich ,as for the ferry companies that’s another thing nothing to do with this
so 35% of these properties will be affordable. The rest of them unaffordable. Except to *ding ding ding* rich mainlanders and second homers. This is not good news for Bembridge or the Island’s infrastructure.
Affordable to investors and then not affordable after reselling them.
Islanders will soon be living on cruise ships with asylum seekers.
The huge amount of alleged asylum seekers moving into other areas of the UK, force many indigenous to leave those towns and villages they now no longer feel at home in, and move to places like the Island.
So whilst few one hopes will set foot in these properties, the massive amount of building on the Island is in no small proportion due to masse immigration into the UK.
None, as yet have arrived with the land to build upon, none with a home to put upon our soil, and very few with the money to pay for any home either.
See the very real reason and problem for the UK’s loss of countryside and quality of life for the British as we fund these people, making them better off and ourselves poorer in more than just fiscal terms.
You are British only by an accident of birth. Just imagine what life would be like if you had been born into a terrible, hard life and total poverty.
Not me. I’m British because I’m great. I wasn’t born great, it took a lot of hard work. Kids these days don’t want to work hard to be British.
Council housing for the chav society I bet!
Want happen. You can’t even sell the Niton ones.
21 homes per hectare isn’t sustainable, you’re just destroying the Island. We need denser housing not sprawl.
Pink just lines his own pocket at the expense of the environment- every house built is more land lost from nature, less habitats for creatures, birds and insects to live, less plant life that naturally removes CO2 from the atmosphere and puts oxygen back in – you know, the stuff we need to breathe, to live.
instead of building houses – get rid of the imported garbage that has arrived to live here -problem solved.
Replying to your own posts is the first sign of schizophrenia.