Following his recent commitment to oppose plans to build new housing on greenfield land in all but exceptional circumstance across the Island, local MP Bob Seely has submitted his objections to 2 new housing developments proposing to do just that.
Mr Seely has said his objections to new proposals to build 14 new homes on land at Landscape Lane in Newport and 7 new homes on land behind 21-31 Ventnor Road in Apse Heath echo concerns of residents living near both sites.
Bob’s said that he opposes the development of land at Landscape Lane due to the houses being located on a greenfield site furthering the trend of low-density housing on Island farmland. He’s said he is concerned that the proposed houses would be car-dependent, adding to the traffic along the Staplers Road route into Newport.
The MP has also said that concerns of residents must be taken into account and he has vowed to continue to champion the rights of Islanders to have a meaningful say over what happens in their communities.
With regard to the new homes planned for Apse Heath, Mr Seely has cited vehicular access a key concern of residents. He has said the development would also be largely car-dependent with the inclusion of garages featuring prominently in the application and would remove yet another of the Island’s green spaces.
Speaking about the situation, Bob has said:
“We need to build houses in sustainable locations, and we need to build for Islanders. The Island needs smaller units of low-density housing on brownfield land. We need to build sensitively and in styles which complement the local surroundings.
“We are seeing too many proposals coming forward to shoehorn houses into small parcels of green space disrupting the lives of surrounding residents.
Article continues below this advertisement “At the same time, we are also seeing plans to remove vast areas of beautiful greenfield land which separate and define our towns and villages. This needs to stop.
“There are vacant spaces in our high streets and empty buildings that could be utilised to address the needs of Islanders waiting for suitable and affordable accommodation.
“We need a different strategy for new homes and the Government needs to help us reflect local opinion and local need by setting sensible and sustainable housing targets for areas such as the Island. With the IW Council, I will continue to press them to do just that.”
What Bob is really saying is brown envelope needs to be bigger
About time our pusillanimous MP showed a bit of backbone. Usually he’s just a nodding dog for Boris Johnson who, if given the chance, would concrete over the whole of the UK.
A jelly fish has more backbone. It is ONLY because this small number of homes will not ‘upset’ the corrupt council and developer friends that Bob dare speak out about it.
Remained tight lipped over the mass ruination of Ryde, as close Cllr’ friends and developers would have lost huge sums of cash for them all had that had been stopped.
SEE these people as they are, not as ‘unlinked’ individuals but people, moving, living in the same circle, and as YOU would, you too would look after your close friends.
Vote them OUT next time around.
Sad to hear our weak MP has caught pusillanimia, lets hope he get well soon, and gets his priorities sorted over doing the job he was voted to do, look after the Island and it’s people and beauty, not just ‘please’ the paymasters.
Oh My has Bob woken up then, or maybe a bit closer to his home.
No, it is just that this development is small scale, so no life changing sums for top councillors to lose out on, should it not go ahead.
Well done Bob !!!! It is unbelievable that developers are being allowed to build on green sites . There are so many derelict buildings and areas which could have housing built on them . This island needs to be protected and developers have got to stop being allowed to get away with Using the ‘it’s for local needed housing ‘ .
He’s got to be the worst MP we’ve ever had. He doesn’t care about island issues. He doesn’t even live here. The amount of development is ridiculous under his tenure. Time to go Bob.
for goodness sake , check your facts – he lives in Mottistone
of course he’s not there when Parliament is sitting – what do you expect him to do, a daily commute????
Why does he claim £1200 per month rent then?
Well said Brian
What you mean the MP who doesn’t live on the island
He does live here .and his family have lived here for generations ..never heard of warhorse ?
He does not live here! His main home is in Oxford.
No arguing with an idiot .you carry on and believe what you want .Bob is a top bloke .you have no idea what he does for the Island. All you lot want to do is blame everything on Tories. You are not interested in the truth .
Are you on one or just high
WELL DONE BOB!!!!!
now we just need the wallies in planning to grow a spine and agree with you
It is easy to sound off over a small, only problematic to the ‘few’ development, where millions, and corruption are unlikely to be at stake.
Yet allow P enny F eather, Nicolson Road, and B ullen to go ahead, with little or no complaing.
That way, it ‘looks’ as though Bob ‘cares’ about the Island, and it’s people and our greenspace and wildlife, by preventing a few dozen Moles and several hundred Earthworms from being squashed, YET will happily allow mature, ancient woods, pasture land, river, and miles of ancient hedgerow to be bulldozed, burnt and destroyed for the ‘rest of time’ in the above mentioned sites.
Bob is likely very friendly, moves in the same circles as those councillors and developers who will gain big time from the large developments, so keeps very ‘tight lipped’ on such, not wishing to ‘cost’ his friends dearly.
A smaller development has less chance of such making huge, life changing sums, so his lips can ‘move’ then.
SEE what is going on, and ensure YOU vote this Council out next time around.
About time he stood up, where did his back bone come from all of a sudden? Maybe he has faced a reality check. Good on Bob, keep this up and I may vote for you.
Backbone? If his suit never had so much starch in the fabric he would be a mere crumpled heap on the chamber floor.
I would prefer if he threw everything he had at the massive new developments in Ryde. These are the make and break ones for the Island. If he objects to every small development, his teeth will become less sharp.
Ah but you see, or should see, that there is no way councillors can get such a ‘large thank you card’ from developers for small scale developments, but when millions are involved, the cost of postage of such, is deemed ‘worthwhile’ by grateful developers.
Vote this lot out at the next given chance.
I can remember as a child that we had Seely Libraries on the island – see:
http://woottonbridgeiow.org.uk/library/chapter2.php
The Seely family have been on the island since about 1859
Just read it .very interesting. Just shows how ignorant the comments on here are about Bob.
Before any more building on green land takes place building needs to take place on brownfield sites.
41 empty properties in Newport town could be converted to flats or knocked down and town houses built What about building flats or houses on the site where the Shoulder & Mutton was by Newport Fire Station?. What about building flats where ATS was and now closed? Plenty of sites and as our shopping experience has changed no longer needed for shops or offices.
Good to see Bob is trying to keep all this none need housing down
I was loosing all faith in him but it looks like he’s starting to think more about island life
No, no easy money for those on planning giving ‘permission’ for small developments. Hence he can speak out on such, without offending those on the Council who do very well out of large developments by grateful developer ‘friends’.
I think there’s a lot of unfair criticism about Bob Seely.
I believe he is truly passionate about the Island and the Islanders’ needs; he is hard working and always speaks out against anything that might adversely affect the Isle of Wight. I have met him a couple of times, have been to see him at local village meetings — and have read his regular comments about Island issues in the local and national newspapers etc. His recent Parliamentary debate in early October (which can be downloaded or watched on the Government’s Parliamentary TV website) was excellent, extremely well presented and argued, and met with a lot of support from other MPs who were there on the day.
In my opinion he fully understands and is sympathetic to the needs of the Isle of Wight, especially when dealing with potential over-development and the protection of the Island’s greenfield locations etc. The Island IS a unique place in the UK, it’s lovely and beautiful and needs to be looked after for the future — it could be so easily ruined without a passionate stance. There are plenty of MPs who do very little for their constituencies, but, from what I have seen, Bob is always ready to step up and fight for our Island and he definitely never shys away from making his feelings known. He also seems to have a very good relationship with Boris and that is also important because Boris does appear to respect Bob’s opinions.
I find some of the terse words and vitriol in some of the readers’ comments I read in various newspapers are unnecessary and often counter-productive. I am not saying that there is no place for criticism but a little more thought before lambasting someone who is doing a very difficult and, at times thankless job. If we want to protect this island from over development (often development that definitely is not for the needs and benefits of the Islanders) then I suggest that we should be backing up what Bob says with a little more enthusiasm, support and far less negativity.
As a lone MP he can’t give us all we might individually want (let’s face it, who on earth could?)… but that doesn’t mean that he’s not doing a damn good job and certainly his heart and mind are in the right place, and always standing up for the good of the Isle of Wight and its inhabitants.
I hope that Bob’s efforts can steer the Island’s future for the benefit of all who live here. He has my support.
NO, he waits to see where public opinion is at, then takes on a ‘small’ development to sound off about, yet keeps too quite on the large ones, which WILL affect many many people in fact all the Island as roads, doctors, hospitals, land fill, schools, nursing homes will all bear the greedy decision making of our council and gutless MP.
He makes a show of this as it won’t upset the Tory party NOR to him, more importantly the close friends on the council.
Hello Bob’s Mother.
No relation, as fas as I know I am not a woman, I’m just an islander who will support anything or anyone that will protect, or try to protect the character and beauty of this small island. By the way, if I was Bob’s mother I am sure I would be a very proud mom!.
Your wasting your breath. This forum is filled with rabid leftie lunatics who think all the ills in the world are caused by the Tories. When in fact it’s because of the Tories we have it so good in this country .
A step in the right direction but I notice no objection to the development in Branstone where 42 “ affordable homes “ and an industrial estate are proposed on agricultural land and in a location which has no public transport service for the residents to get to any amenities. Why no objection ? Because it’s the Council that are proposing they be built.
And what do you propose to put in its place ?
Could not Stop a Bus
What about the poor family at Westridge Farm fighting to save their livelihood and the last dairy farm in Ryde . Why also is building houses allowed on precious farming land .
It’s outrageous ! This is just another development we don’t want or need !
Stop it happening .
Bob obviously didn’t get any sausages
But he objected, none-the-less.
Planning consent all over the Island stinks. Look at the old Savoy holiday site (now Westbay). Too many greased palms and brown elbows