Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has objected to 2 proposed housing developments – 1 in Wellow and the other in Ryde – saying they do not meet the housing needs of Islanders.
On both sites, the houses planned are ‘market houses’ which Mr Seely says will most likely attract mainland retirees rather than housing young Islanders.
Speaking about the 16-home development proposed at Lee Farm in Wellow, Mr Seely said:
“This application delivers zero affordable housing, takes away more of our natural landscape and most importantly does not address the housing needs of Islanders.
“Sixteen houses is a large development in this location and it appears to come at no benefit to the people living in the West Wight and especially not the young people and young families who need affordable homes.
“We need new housing to be built on brownfield land, ideally in town centres where there is a real need for large-scale regeneration, not agricultural land badged as brownfield land because it has a farm building on it.”
Commenting on the proposal to build 6 houses on land between Westridge Garage and St Johns Graveyard in Ryde, Mr Seely said:
“What concerns me the most about this development is its location as it would see more vehicles exiting on to an already very busy road. I believe if these plans go ahead pedestrians, cyclists and other road users would be put at increased risk of injury as traffic enters and exits the new road.
Article continues below this advertisement “While we need new housing, particularly for our young people living in the Ryde area, the houses proposed are not for Islanders and they are in the wrong place. The houses planned are three-bedroom market houses with not a single one of them classed as affordable. We need genuinely affordable housing for Islanders in the right places.
“There are brownfield sites in need of regeneration that could be developed to provide affordable homes for Islanders young and old without the need to build on greenfield land such as this.”
No shit Sherlock, the last ten years or more have been aimed at dfl second homes.
The incentives to encourage affordable housing are not there, and it’s up to his government to sort it out.
Moving from greenfield to brownfield is great but it doesn’t solve the problem.
Bandwagon Bob, well Bob it was the last Tory council that would of approved the large housing projects that were not for the islanders, where were you then speaking out about it, I think you were probably at home not giving a damn about the island. Turncoat. Please vote this hypocrite out when we get the chance.
But the councillors needs are though!!
The only need is we don’t NEED any more, infrastructure not in place.
Positive words Bob, let’s see it followed by some positive action.
Why does anywhere in Britain need relentless large scale development? The answer lies in the ‘I’ word that nobody seems to want to mention as the sole cause for our population explosion over the last 24 years and the subsequent need to concrete over every inch of the south East. It’s alright building ‘affordable’ homes but why on earth are they so unaffordable in the first place? The reason is the massive imported demand that outstrips supply and keeps prices so high(along with masses of green and eco legislation and thousands of EU derived rules and laws that have to be met whilst quality never seems to improve)
Yep, you are right, the island is over populated, the country is over populated, the planet is over populated,it ain’t rocket, but we might need one!?
If Mr Seely is so against green field sites being developed, why the
Massive development agreed at Gunville ? Both sides of Gunville Road to be built on ,both green field sites. Your words are meaningless to people who live here !
It doesn’t matter how affordable houses are on the Island it will still mean mainland buyers will be interested. The sale of any new build affordable houses should be strictly monitored to make sure they are for Island residents only.
This is what they do in mevagissey in Cornwall
LOOK at the state of all the rotting buildings everywhere.
DONT build anymore houses; buy these wrecks and do them up into modern good looking homes.
We do not have the capacity to bring more people here unless a bridge is built so that we can get access to Dentist, Doctors, Health Service, Mental Heath services, Social Services, Policing, Care for the Elderly, Jobs, Education.
Do they not get this is an Island and we just don’t have enough of the above for the people living here now let alone when you build more, have some sense.
Well, Mr S. – the IOW has been awarded a UNESCO Biosphere status, thank you – now what about that National Park Status?