‘A total disaster’ is what a parish councillor has branded the development of 475 homes on the edge of Ryde.
Councillors on the Nettlestone and Seaview Parish Council planning committee last week unanimously agreed to object to Captiva’s West Acre Park development that would be built on farmland.
Plans were submitted to the Isle of Wight Council earlier this month for a GP surgery, cafe and office space to be built along with 475 houses, 116 of those social or affordable rent house.
The objection from Nettlestone and Seaview Parish Council adds to views from the Mayor of Ryde Michael Lilley and Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely, who both do not wish for plans to go ahead.
At the meeting last Wednesday, Cllr David Adams, said he felt there were major issues coming with the development, leaving him with many reservations. One of his main points was that the development would be built on one of the last working dairy farms on the Island, Westridge Farm, who had already lost acres of their land to another Captiva development.
He said:
“This is a working farm that is still successful, not a brownfield site — this would be a total disaster.”
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In its letter of objection, the parish council said Westridge Farm, which is run by the Holliday family and has been for the past 54 years, should be encouraged to thrive and expand its production to the benefit of the community rather than being lost.
As a whole, the parish council objected to potential environmental risks as outlined in the Environment Agency’s objections to the plans and the need to preserve the UNESCO Biosphere status which, while the status supports sustainable building, would see the development cut up the natural environment to recreate it around housing.
The council also worries the application would merge the separate entities of Nettlestone and Seaview with Ryde, eroding the historic and natural countryside between the parishes.
Comments on the planning application (20/01061/FUL) are being accepted until 11th September.
It is such a shame that developers keep trying to build everywhere on the island, is there really a need to build all these new homes.
All the time the rest of the world sees the UK as a soft touch, and then proceed to breed huge families as soon as it arrives, which then do likewise from puberty onwards, then the UK being small will become ruined, not for a while, but forever.
Many indigenous then decide to move to places like the Island where the culture is still recognisable to them, thus forcing more homes to ruin here to.
Sadly too late now, best any Gov could do, is slow the rot, but none have the need, as they, like our council and developers gain and NEVER will have to live amongst those they are happy to inflict upon others.
This is the good times, WAIT until penny feather is built along with Bullen etc. Imagine when they are soon filled to capacity and those tenants children all have children.
The best years are over for Wight and will never come back. Grim, yes, but true.
‘Some’ developers are very ‘in’ with the council. So NO surprise.