Work on a major residential development on the outskirts of Ryde is on the cusp of getting underway following the submission of a reserved matters application to the Isle of Wight Council, but there has been a dramatic change in the site’s masterplan.
It has been in the making for almost 15 years, but the Pennyfeathers scheme is now closer than ever – and work could begin in a matter of months.
Outline permission was granted back in 2017 for a maximum of 904 residential units, a school, community centre, commercial buildings, the relocation of Westridge Garage, a community energy centre, sports building and changing rooms, structural landscaping, play areas and associated highway improvements.
Now, a reserved matters application containing over 900 documents has been submitted which covers the finer details of the scheme. If approved, work can begin straight away on building the new part of Ryde on land between Brading Road and Smallbrook Lane, although developers would have up to 2 years to start work. That said, the approved planning application stated that the reserved matters application had to be submitted within 3 years with a cut off date of 1st September 2020. The application wasn’t submitted until December 2020.
The layout of the Pennyfeathers site has changed significantly from the previous plans and now includes several blocks of flats, as well as changes to the road layout. An underpass is also proposed at Smallbrook Bridge with road changes to the junction with Great Preston Road too.
In May last year, an application was submitted to adjust conditions imposed as part of the planning permission granted. Just a month later, an application was submitted for the redevelopment of Westridge Junction – but a decision is yet to be made. Under the reserved matters application a much more complex redevelopment of Westridge is proposed to create Brading Boulevard.
Back in June, Island Echo was told that ground clearance works were likely to begin at the tail end of 2020 and into 2021, before the first spade hits the ground in March or April 2021. However, this now looks unlikely as it was hoped the reserved matters application would be submitted last Summer. Over the years a number of targets have been set but not met. It was originally hoped that by 2021 over 400 homes would have been built with all nearby roadworks completed.
As exclusively revealed by Island Echo on Friday, the Isle of Wight Council is set to begin the redevelopment of Smallbrook Roundabout in the next few months. This is separate from the Pennyfeathers development but will help with traffic flow in the area.
Even allowing for the extension of time to start the physical construction of a Planning Application granted under COVID measures, I think that it should exclude late presentation of documentation, plus, anyone looking at the overall application(s) process here would see a persistent failure to meet submission deadlines. In those circumstances, not only should this latest set of submissions be disallowed, I would hope that any Planning Department would keep a very firm control over ‘slippages’ and subsequent ‘alterations’ in the actual execution of the build process. The Applicant would seem to be of the opinion that the ‘rules’ do not apply to them!
A cut off date should be a cut off date otherwise all dealines are meaningless
So, the wild plants, streams, hedgerows, trees and all the wildlife surviving a Winter, are to be destroyed. Beauty and life bulldozed into smouldering heaps, and ancient soil dug away and dumped.
To be replaced with flats, small box homes, which will be filled to capacity, and then move on to the next site, making a fortune for the developer, a large thank you for those ‘giving’ permission, and neither party having to live anywhere near the ugly, urban sprawl that was once a beautiful valley.
Those people thinking that it will improve life for islanders searching for a home, will find that much is filled by others, and, as a huge development, that the ills of lack of jobs, lack of infrastructure and increase in crime will cancel out any small gain hope of securing a home.
Traffic will not just affect Ryde but all the Island, and this will ruin East Wight.
Yet those who gain, will not be anywhere near the misery they happily create for others, aided and abetted by those WE vote in.
Don’t make that mistake next time.
Blame Jenny wade she wanted the farm closed down and this is what you get!
Why doesn’t the council just concrete over the whole of the Isle of Wight, to hell with the beauty? And they claim to be green.
Where are the jobs for all the new residents?
There is no need for new job’s, this whole residential development is for the unemployed and single mothers.
their full time work is dealing crack and weed, none of this site is for islanders.
Where would you find that many islanders needing a new home, with all the empty new houses already built.
Plus the workforce for this, will no doubt be from mainland…
Oh no, not another council project to ease traffic flow!! Does that mean a thousand traffic lights, dozens of new junctions and pointless complexity at Smallbrook resulting in it taking up to 40 times longer to get through!
Next time the council mention anything about a “climate emergency”, remember to spit in their face, and mention the huge amount of environmental damage this causes and ask how they reconcile this with their “emergency”.
No spitting, oh no, PUNCH them like that Radio presenter said on live radio to punch bus driver !!
Utterly tragic loss of an ESSENTIAL open space because of inhuman greed.
Those who planned and ‘approved’ of this monstrous affair should be locked in the old Brading gaol on public display. They are beneath contempt.
Better still lock them on that floating bridge.. then cut the chains
The developers would hardly have bothered presenting a 900-document application unless someone in County Hall had given them reason to believe that it would go through, despite being late and considerably altered.
No mention of supporting infrastructure, Section 106, etc.
Nod, nod, wink, wink.
“… a reserved matters application containing over 900 documents…” Trust me when I say that NO legal team are going to read EVERY word of over 900 documents. The applicants know this and pad out the application knowing full well that they can “hide” crucial details within it that nobody will bother to read. And here layeth a major problem….
That reminds me of the “and the Town Clerk is hereby divorced” cunningly concealed in the Parliamentry Bill for some Municipal public works, at a time when divorce was extremely difficult and expensive to procure.
It’s a shame that valid concerns about this development has been hijacked by bigoted morons. Hate does not win your argument, it just allows the other side an easy win.
Tom,who do you think is being hated here? The whole concept is wrong, out of step with the needs of our times. Complicit Council members and officials and fat-cat developers may be fair targets, but the fundamental concern of commenters here is that this should not be happening.
From Toms Comments, and he is certainly entitled to his opinions, i have reread all of the listed comments and i cant see anything particularly bigoted or indeed moronic in the posts.
Seriously who is this development intended for? I work with a lot of young people, and the majority of them say they dont think they will ever own their own home, this is sad. They say the work situation on the island is pretty fragile, and they would be scared to commit. That’s not taking into account the large deposits now required by the banks etc. The pandemic may make money even more difficult to borrow, if your brave enough.
Where are the jobs coming from? As mentioned previously the infrastructure is not there. The hospital cant cope as it is. They just dont have the resources. Even the GPs in normal times seem to struggle. Want an appointment, well you may be able to see a nurse in a few weeks time.
None of this is a pointed criticism, its just a fact of life here on the island. Please Isle Of Wight leaders give this development some serious thought. You’ve made some howlers lately, dont make another one.
No we do not want this and unless the councillors and planning staff want to be looking for new jobs or get harrassed in the street I suggest they kick this bad idea into touch.
these types of builds are to attract people from the mainland to live here at the expense of the environment.
if you know someone involved in agreeing to this, then make sure you tell them what you think and publish their names.
Now more than ever it is imperative that this should not be allowed to proceed without a cast-iron commitment to provide a fully manned Health Centre, if you can’t get the Doctors don’t get the people (No, the people aren’t here already they will be coming from the North Island, or even further away)
IF THEY ARE SO KEEN TO BUILD AT PENNYFEATHER WHY NOT BUILD A HOSPITAL ???
YES GUPPY YOU ARE RIGHT WE NEED ANOTHER HOSPITAL NOT MORE HOUSES. THE ISLAND IS CHANGING AND NOT FOR THE BETTER.WHY DO WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR THE ISLAND IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOVELY PLACE TO HOLIDAY IN BUT IT WILL NOT BE IN THE FUTURE,IF WE LET THIS COUNCIL GET AWAY WITH IT. BARBARA.
Since their time expired in September, then case should have been closed. Now it has changed what is going to be built, cheaper goods being used as well no doubt, how many of these new properties will be affordable to those living here working zero hour contracts, or part time at checkouts… minimum wage … plus they will not HAVE to start work for another two years.. stupid that.. It has been three years already+/- if they leave it for another two years, then they will just put in another revised planning…. look at the lovely eyesore any visitors in future will get to look at,
Now was that a TUNNEL they will be building….. interesting…
Moan moan moan but doing nothing about it, and no I’m not bothered if it’s built or not, you’ve had 15 years
Read your Ryde history – a local Councillor was successfully elected a few years ago on the strength of feeling against this development, and around 400 objections were received, but the planning office still allowed outline development. So don’t say locals are not “doing anything about it, but moan”!!!!! It was obvious what would happen when the old “smelly farm” was closed by the Council.
I would like to know who voted for this to actually be done.. ?? It is very stupid really. How many Islanders want this built?
Nobody “voted for it to be done” – that’s not how it works. We voted for people who were supposed to act in our best interests – well, that went well, didn’t it?
I am sure, the tenants will, if as in other places that non indigenous have been housed, will be most grateful, decent citizens who will add greatly to the diversity of our Island.
Their extended families fitting in well with locals, and respecting our ways of life, fitting in so admirably that it will be only their skin tone and perhaps religious clothing which will show that they are not true caulkheads.
Mothercare will likely re open, perhaps renamed ‘Muvercare’ and new butchers Hal al meats will provide one new job, to lessen the growing length at the job centre.
Other new positions will likely soon follow, more plastic surgeons needed to cope with increased stab, acid attacks and gun shot wounds.
More police will be needed and more female officers for the r ape crisis unit.
So lets not see ‘just the bad side of this lucrative development for our c ouncil and their close developers, but look forward to a new experience of being afraid to leave home after dark, then have more security cameras, new excitement in terrorist attacks and armed Police making the tv seem almost unnecessary.
Couldn’t see the Mosque on the Plan, another ‘change’ to come later no doubt.
Ensure you vote this vile counc il out next time.
Stop! Please understand we are all equal in this world despite our beliefs,Color or even employment status! The comment from squeaky Clean borders on nonsense. The World is changing and has changed and sadly there are an awful lot of islanders that are stuck in the old days and need to accept that there are different people in our world that share our country and beliefs and yes they may move next door to us but they are lovely people with a heart and soul just like us! The comment about stabbings didn’t you have one on Ryde seafront recently and o by the way that was a local person born and bred on the Island!
Get Real and stop this nonsense!
Is this another classic case of what applies to a member of public that is a few days late with documents NOT being allowed to continue with their planning application on the reason it has timed out and big developer being allowed to submit late documents as well as changes to the original application being allowed to continue, if not encouraged to.
I must be mistaken with my belief!
Look who’s involved – Hepburn. That has got to be a big clue. Late of the planning dept. Oh dear.
Anybody seen “seldom seen Seeley”put his head above the parapet for his constituents and tell Isle of Wight planning where to shove Pennyfeathers?he was “out and out “!!against planning developments like this!!No well what a fecking surprise the man is as good at his elected job as a box of left over melting Christmas maltezers….
The council have probably invested money somewhere in this scheme. Don’t forget, each and every building that goes up is an income for them be it council tax, business rates etc, they will see a return far greater than that invested over time and don’t give a toss who resides there.
isla, spot on.
One of them, laughably a ‘business leader’ has several establishments in Ryde, where he is KNOW for paying his staff, who he knows are on benefits cash in hand to work there. Yet he is in ‘charge’ of business.