An extension to the Ryde’s Nicholson Road business park has been given the green light.
At a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee, proposals from planning officers were approved to grant permission for the extension of Nicholson Road — with 47 conditions between the 2 applications.
Chris Ashman, the council’s director of regeneration, said this project played a key role in the regeneration programme and was not about building more ‘soulless tin sheds’. He said:
“It is about providing employment in places where people will want to work – in a high-quality natural setting that is in complete harmony with our UNESCO Biosphere.
“Working with other stakeholders, we will ensure the homes, jobs and supporting infrastructure proposed in the area will be joined up and further enhance the Island’s offer to live work and do business”.
The park has been approved with outline plans for a mixed use community hub and business areas which include the use of the space for offices, retail, a cafe, 15 flats reserved for key workers, a gym and general industrial areas.
Speaking as the ward councillor for Ryde East, Cllr Michael Lilley said the whole scheme was half-baked, desperate and would haunt Ryde and its residents. He said:
“Pushing the planning permission through to access funding is irresponsible. The future for Ryde looks bleak, with decades of eye-sore half-finished building sites designed for a pre-Covid world that time will pass by and put a nail in the coffin of Ryde’s future.”
While councillors were in favour of the employment aspect of the development, more than one objection was made regarding the highway works surrounding the extension, including the junction with Smallbrook Lane and Great Preston Road.
Public objections from The Ryde Society and Ryde Town Council, who officers wrongly said supported the development, questioned whether the infrastructure had been properly thought out, with Ryde councillor Phil Jordan echoing Island Roads recommendation for refusal as it would go against some of the Isle of Wight council’s own core planning strategy. He said:
“We are not against jobs being created in our town but we absolutely must continue to voice our concerns about a sustainable and efficient transport network.”
Alan White, highways development control officer for Island Roads, highlighted reasons for refusal in his original report, which included safety concerns for the Smallbrook mini roundabout, the impact capacity of Westridge Cross and the limited width of Great Preston Road. He said:
“We have shown while the proposed layout [of Smallbrook Lane] offers an element of improvement it still wouldn’t be suitable for large vehicles which we see an increased potential of large vehicles moving through the route.”
Committee member Cllr Matthew Price said:
“I am a bit concerned that we are going against the view of Island Roads but on the other hand, all the other developments all the highway improvements will come forward to complement this.
“Thankfully, for once we are looking at something that is virtually all employment, and not building houses all over green space, putting employment into an area that much needs it.”
Councillors on the planning committee voted in favour of approving the development 8 to 4.
Why DON’T they F’OFF and build somewhere else!
This development is not needed, think about the wildlife and
Infrastructure!
Idiots come up with silly ideas!
“in a high-quality natural setting that is in complete harmony with our UNESCO Biosphere.”
That it will not be now, it will be the complete opposite.
I think when a area receives UNESCO Biosphere status all major building projects should need a third party sign off by a Biosphere representative. All these major projects are based on short-termism where decisions today cannot be reversed in 50 years time and beyond.
This human obsession with growth and money is tragic for wildlife. I think these planners don’t understand we are an island that is shrinking.
Brilliant news.
Total pillock.
I’m a developer, I’m here to make money not to panda to your name calling and hostility.
The only thing you are developing is a lousy personality and a pathetic and hopeless understanding of the environmental impact all this unnecessary concreting over natural habitat does.
Judging by your comments, I suspect your development work as at the same woeful shoddy standard.
Well you should f off too then you greedy twat
Well that’s not very friendly is it? I’m not going anywhere, far to many construction opportunities at less than normal labour costs. Rents are cheaper too.. That means I can get tenants rent covered buy nearly 100 percent of housing benefit. Thank you for contributing to my new Bentley.
The truth – more likely you need to get out of mummy’s basement and get a job
More traffic, longer queues and this latest development goes against the Council’s own core strategy planning values! BUT HEY, LET’S DO IT ANYWAY. The sooner these bunch of dead head IOW councillors are out of County Hall the better. They will approve too much building and slowly the islands green space and wildlife will be lost forever. Ryde is going to become an urban sprawl.
Agree, the Island will soon be a residential Island, not a tourist or holiday Island. Such a shame.
15 flats reserved for key workers
so its a housing development disguised as business, which will then simply be housing in about three to five years.
Liars and this needs stopping and those that agreed to it, removed from their positions or at the very least, have it discussed personally when they are seen out and about in their leisure time.
Cllr Whittle will have more customers for his ‘private’ businesses to enrichen him further as they build Ryde to ugly ruination.
Those who live away from Ryde will be deeply affected by more traffic, more crime, and longer delays at dentist, hospitals and doctors. But NOT so the planners, developers and Council, who have private treatment and education for their children and live miles away from the ruination they greedily give permission for others to have their lives ruined.
VOTE them OUT next time. They ONLY care for themselves. Now permission is given it will be ‘altered’ to give MORE housing, and less of anything less profitable. WATCH and LEARN
This planning decision should be called in and overturned, but this council appear to be interested in only one thing, themselves.
Corrupt council
Ooo it looks lovely! Still, looking on the bright side, more empty buildings and a few full bank accounts.
What employment?! There isn’t any. We can’t keep the ones already here. This will just be a backdoor housing development. Just goes to show Ryde Town Council can say what they want but they have absolutely no say in what happens to the town
There are 140000 permanent residents on the Island How many supermarkets warehouses builders merchants do we need ?
Build them and they won’t come
A note to the councillor – putting up a building designed for employment purposes does not actually mean you have attracted additional employment to the area – it simply means you have just spent a load of money putting up a building designed for employment – maybe the council can instead focus their efforts to attract the marine businesses that were supposed to flock to the medina at the back of hawthorn meadows residential development but who in over 10 years never turned up, or the technology firms that were going to flock to the island technology park but also never arrived ? I am surprised they haven’t thrown in a new ‘doctors surgery’ for this planned development just to put the icing on their make believe cake
Absolute perfect summary Bryan
The council KNOW that business won’t come, they just say that to get the permission and to appease idiots, they know that the businesses will then be changed to more social housing, which is easy to do thus getting what they really want, more payments from mainland councils to take in their dross, and with central Gov then paying the council tax for every low life who is too lazy to work and pay their own. A win win for the council here. Even more so if their close developer friends send each a very nice ‘thank you’ card.
Vote the low life out next chance, don’t just ‘let them’ get away with such
Why doesn’t the council; get someone to build another hospital on this Island, instead of more and more and more homes !! ?? That would mean more PERMANENT jobs…
Bye bye foxes. Bye bye badgers. You were nice while you existed.