Objections are mounting against plans to redevelop the now redundant Fort Victoria Pier near Yarmouth.
Plans for the major development were unveiled back in April and would see a shellfish and fish landing and processing facility, shop and restaurant built on the remnants of the pier.
As part of the Westhill Beach development proposed by company Miles Blamire, there would also be 5 luxury homes on the shore’s edge which would, in part, fund the pier development.
Concerns over the application have been raised, however, with more than 100 comments submitted to the Isle of Wight Council about the application — the overwhelming majority against the proposals.
1 member of the public said they had no issue with the proposal to restore the pier but they were totally against the housing element while another said the development would be detrimental to tourism.
A campaign, Save Our Seashore, has now been launched by residents against the proposals, as previously reported by Island Echo.
Freshwater Parish Council said the proposals would dramatically change the area, would be an unsustainable use of a brownfield site and branded it an overdevelopment. They said the plans were not in keeping with the surroundings nor was it sympathetic to the Grade II Fort Victoria. If it were to be approved, the authority called for a condition stipulating no house could be built until the pier had been restored.
Island Roads has also recommended the application for refusal due to issues with the proposed highways layout and the increased use of the existing Halletts Shute and Westhill Lane junction.
Not everyone is against the plans though, with 1 tourist saying they had been deeply saddened to see the amenity allowed to decline for so many years. They said they wholeheartedly supported the application, which offered long-overdue salvation.
Comments on the application have officially closed but local ward member Councillor Peter Spink has requested the application be determined by the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee.
Island people like the island as it is
If others don’t then a boat leaves every half hour ( unless staff shortages, mechanical issues or rough weather) so best be on it.
Then they might possibly be happier and so would we
Win win
You don’t speak for every islander! I was born here, why should I leave my home because people like you want to turn the island in a 3rd world country. It’s waste land, perfect for development and job creation.
There is often little wrong with 3rd world countries themselves, it is usually the Governing of such which causes the problem and the people who due to lack of education, ignorance, or selfishness have too many children to sustain.
So by building everywhere homes which are filled with poor people who can only make ends meet by having more and more children to gain cheap rent, cheap or free c.tax, and have top up benefits in tax credits, child allowance etc, this build on everything policy is bringing the 3rd world nations and attitudes to our shores and making it all worse.
Food banks were never needed even in war time, so ask yourself WHY now? IMO it is not coincidence.
proposed by company Miles Blamire,
which was incorporated in October 2020 has no filing history, no track record and no evidence of any funds.
with recession looming – this is a non starter. Who the hell wants to buy a luxury house, next door to a fish processing facility or eat at a restaurant that would just stink of the fish facility next door all day long …not really thought that through have they.
more overner down from town luxury second homes! What’s happening to our island? we’ll soon be the new Cornwall!
Island homes for island people!
I’d heard the other day from an eco warrior that the developers were looking to the island as the new Sandbanks, apparently with rising water levels and coastal erosion Sandbanks is or will be disappearing, apart from being developed to the max anyway.
excellent maybe they’ll sort out the floating bridge & make it reliable, like the Sandbanks one
Whilst I agree that this doesn’t seem to have been well thought through- houses and restaurant next door to a processing facility. I don’t mind betting that at least SOME of the ‘objections’ come from people who already live in houses in the area (and just what was there before their houses were built?)…
Just a suggestion…
Are people actually objecting to the proposal itself, or objecting because it will block their wonderful view (of the completely dilapidated pier)?
Islanders seem to like dilapidated areas. Like many islanders homes their gardens are full of dilapidated cars and junk. I was going to open a business at Fort Victoria until I saw the state of the place.
I who thought a good idea was a tourist?why would their opinion even matter then Island Echo? It’s got bugger all to do with them,as they won’t be living here!
Indeed, but Ft Victoria and most of the Island survives on tourists so it is not clever to ignore their views.
In this case, we can reliably expect that any houses will get built first and then miraculously there will be no funds for anything else.
surely the easy answer is for the council to say – when you have refurbished the pier etc, THEN you can build the houses, otherwise the houses will be built, the developer will run off with the profit and the pier will remain delapidated
Absolutely agree with you. My suspicious brain thinks someone will make alot of money out of the ‘luxury’ homes & the pier will stay as it is.
Good luck to all you people around Fork Victoria and Yarmouth with this objection, we objected to Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park getting bigger, as we live next door to it, only to find our lives have been ruined by the the massive development . All this building needs to stop. This area of Bembridge is now spoiled.
It will never stop until the corruption stops from the people in so called charge go
Why as a tourist what they think. Maybe I should go to where they come from and propose changes to their area, then come back. All this area needs is a tidy up, it’s a quiet quaint part of the island, leave it alone.
There is a very good service on your island, it’s called Specsavers. I suggest you use it.
Complete regeneration of a dilapidated pier and building on a bit of waste land, how can people object to this? Even if you live in the houses behind surely you should have realised that this bit of land will get built on one day?
This is ‘Land grab’. Pretty soon the owners of those luxury houses would claim the beach as private property and close access to hoi polloi. Mainland developers have already taken over much of the beaches in the west wight at Yarmouth and Totland and they certainly don’t develop these site to make things nice and pretty for us.
To quote from the developers website,
“We have a profound understanding that the built form poses a difficult dilemma for us all. Whatever we do, there is destruction, valuable earth resource consumption and an inevitable carbon footprint. Our job is to consider these impacts and minimise and rebalance them with beauty through innovation and articulation, to the best of our ability”
We’re in safe hands then as they sound like they have the islands best interest at heart…….
Much like the owners of the Ocean Hotel in Sandown I expect.