Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely is urging residents to back his campaign against the draft Island Planning Strategy – or Island Plan, by attending a meeting in East Cowes on Thursday where the proposed Crossways housing development will be under discussion.
The houses are proposed in an already busy area of East Cowes in Beatrice Avenue, opposite the Hawthorn Meadows housing estate and adjacent to Queensgate Primary School and the East Cowes Family Centre.
The Island Plan makes provision for 75 houses at the greenfield site, but plans are being drawn up by developers for more than 150 properties.
A petition launched nearly 2-years-ago to stop the building or planning applications on the field off Beatrice Avenue East Cowes gathered nearly 250 responses.
Bob said:
“We are seeing these unwanted, ill-suited and unsustainable developments time and time across the Island – Wellow, Northwood, Ryde, Bembridge, Brading.
“We need new houses but these need to be the right type of houses, for Islanders, in the right locations. New houses must be built to benefit not developers, but Island people. Patently unsuitable development should not be encouraged by arbitrary housing targets.
“Our housing targets are too high, and the houses planned are not primarily for Islanders.”
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Bob will be speaking to East Cowes Town Council at its Full Council meeting on Thursday 18th July at starting at 19:00 in the Town Hall.
Isle of Wight Council member for Osborne and Whippingham, Cllr Stephen Hendry, said:
“East Cowes has had its fair share of housing in recent times. We have approximately 1,700 homes built across developments such as Hawthorn Meadows, Osborne Heights, The David Wilson Home site, the Barratt’s Marina and other smaller developments.
“East Cowes is at capacity. Our infrastructure is being pushed to its limits, the new housing that is still being built is not being filled and this high-density development does not enhance our community.
“We need to keep the green space between East Cowes and Whippingham. Our two unique communities need to be preserved.
“I am working with Bob to urge the IW Council to scrap the proposals to develop the Crossways site. Residents share my concern over this, and we will together oppose any attempts to bring it forward for housing. It’s time we said enough is enough.”
Stop it now. The island is choking. Nowhere is a right place. The clowns that blackmail councils with this abomination should sit back in their libraries and dream up some other way of short changing us.
Well said both, now put the pressure on, otherwise East Cowes will meet Whippingham which will meet Newport. We elect councils to look after and protect our needs, and always in their infinite wisdom they push forward these ludicrous housing plans. New housing should primarily be for those most needing it, not as a way of encouraging more, non working, non contributing , NHS dependant bodies. Our young people and the vulnerable need to be considered first.
I said years ago that there will be no separate villages or towns , and that one will connect to the next. Its like a colour by numbers too much green !! must make it more Ugly .
It makes no sense at that the amount of houses being built on the Island is getting way out of control. How much more can , not only the roads take but The one and only Hospital we have left, now that all the others have been shut., Drs , Dentist , Schools, Mental Health service,, Elderly , the list is endless. SURELY it does NOT take a GENIOUS to work out that the population of this Island is probably 4 times more now than it was sixty years ago with less services !!!!! I never gained any exams from school but if I were to offer to cook for 10 people and had enough for just that there is NO WAY it will stretch to 100 !!!! I despair at the people in control of this . So many people who have lived here all their life cannot get to see Their own Dr for weeks. Cannot get on a dentist list. Children and parents having to suffer while waiting well over a year to get a diagnosis for a child who is suffering with issues beyond their or parents control. When will the council stand up and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH !!!!