The Isle of Wight Council has put forward its new ‘planning bible’ to try to sort out the Island’s housing crisis.
The draft Island Planning Strategy (IPS) paves the way for developers, the public and the planning authority for the next 15 years, setting out how the Isle of Wight Council hopes to address issues and provide housing sensitively,
This is the first stage in a line of consultations, meetings and final approval which will hope to see the plan implemented from 2023 through to 2038.
A main purpose of the strategy is to help the council fight to lower the housing targets for the Island; from building 700 houses a year, which has not been attainable, to 486.
The strategy’s policies are laid out under 6 main sections, which cover everything from the economy to the environment and growth of the Island.
• Environment — Policies will protect and seek to improve all the positive aspects, including the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, trees, heritage assets and ecology. A new dark skies park will be introduced in the south west of the Island and a biodiversity net gain of ten per cent will also be required from all new developments.
• Community — Making sure people have access to open space and community facilities while allowing more health facilities to be built where needed. Strong and healthy communities with a range of people of all ages are key and will be built in well-designed new spaces and buildings.
• Growth — For sustainable growth and development, with the Island’s population growth and people living longer, additional homes, jobs, services and infrastructure are required in the right places so people are closer to what they need.
• Housing — More houses are needed, but in lots of different types and for different needs. Homes will be built in areas where people will be able to access the services and facilities they need.
• Economy — While protecting existing jobs, new ones need to be created; land will be secured for a range of businesses to maintain and increase jobs. Policies will also ensure commercial properties on high streets can be as flexible as possible.
• Transport — Having a big impact on climate change, growth will be planned to encourage people to move around without using motor vehicles. New roads, footpaths and cycle paths infrastructure will be built where needed and, wherever possible, new development will help fund those costs.
One of the guiding principles is to improve the delivery and affordability of new homes, which has been lacking in previous years. Between April 2015 and March 2020, only 95 affordable homes have been built.
The council hopes with the adoption of the IPS, with a realistic housing number, it will be able to move away and regain control over decision making in line with the new policies set out in the IPS.
To read the strategy and find out how to comment, visit www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/Environment-Planning-and-Waste/Planning-Policy-new/The-Island-Plan-Review/Surveys-and-Consultations.
Comments will be accepted until 17:00 on 1st October.
So the greenfield development of Birch Close (50 houses), Camp Road, (greenfield and 150 houses), Heathfield Road (greenfield, 150 or more houses), all in Freshwater is accepted in the “bible”
How can the council honestly expect it’s tax paying citizens to take any consultation seriously.
I will never vote for any political party again and will be withholding my Council Tax payments as a protest.
You’ll be getting fined then, until you pay your CT.
May be worth finding a way to protest which doesn’t involve you losing money in fines.
I fully intend to pay the CT but they can chase me for it and they will be informed of why it is late…
Here we go again, telling the islands what they won’t to hear and doing what they won’t.
Not voting is playing into there hands and withholding your council tax good luck with that
This is a draft, open for public comment before adoption.
The sites you list are “accepted” because they already have at least outline approval under the previous administration and to reverse that now would trigger appeals and unaffordable cost.
Birch Close was not in the original draft so outline approval must have been granted after the original was out for public comments.
They didn’t listen then and they won’t listen now.
They never listen. they make up their minds in advance what they are going to do, pretend to give people a say but know they are going to ignore anything that doesn’t fit with their plans. If every single person (apart from council employees obv) were to withhold cancel tax they could not arrest every single person for it, I’d like to see them try. there would just be too many people for them to arrest them all. But of course it won’t happen, it’s no use just a few, it would need to be everyone.
I so agree that houses need to be built but not until we have the schools doctors dentists and hospital available
Council have completely lost it how on camp rd have outline planning for 130 dwellings when years ago 8 homes were refused
What we do need is starter rented accomodation for our young disabled or/and care leavers to enable them to live an independent life and seeing as how they have been in the councils care most of their lives it’s about time the council thought of them there is not sufficient housing for this group of people
Make that 485
Im selling up after the council have and are ruining this island.
Like i say BUILD FOR NEED NOT FOR GREED.
Hahaha greed is the only thing that these numptys understand ( brown envelopes)…..
Please can someone have an ounce of sense ?????? ( probably not))……..
Unless we have a bigger island ( builders Please provide quote s) build a bigger hospital get more Dr’s and Dentists and prepare for more social care etc etc the list goes on ……..
Grow a pair and tell the brown nosers and Government the island will SINK…..
Affordable housing for islanders who need / wish to remain on this ever increasing concrete jungle full of over priced rabbit hutches ….
Instead of building new houses what about another hospital that can cater for all the people already here
Yes even without new builds, we need a new hospital, should never have closed Ryde or Shanklin ones down.
The only housing crisis going on here is the amount of houses so called caring developers want to build. I also don’t see in that fairy tale list, the need for a new hospital to cope with thousands more people here…. council tax before people, greed.
They should have a target to ‘not build on greenfield’. It’s as simple as that. Anything else is a cop out and a failure to the environment.
The West Acre decision this year was a defining moment for this island, and the public trust in planning has been completely lost in my opinion.
They closed Brading Drs surgery we can’t cope now with the number of people on Drs lists how are we ever going to cope with all this concrete building, it is very scary indeed.
The island is done for. No different to the mainland, but for christ sake build us a fixed link so we can at least escape this doomed little rock cheaply and easily. Dont forget you voted for the new improved saviours.
Transport has a big impact on climate change? keep on repeating the greenwashing…Never mention the overbreeding causing the global problems and the “much needed housing” which is destroying the enviroment permanently as a result.
True, true, true. There is never going to be ‘enough’ housing because there is always going to be more people because they are not going to stop breeding and it’s often the people who shouldn’t breed at all are the ones who breed the most.