Plans for 149 homes in Gunville were rejected last night (Tuesday) due to ‘inadequate’ access to the development and the wider impact on highways.
Local developers DN Associates made the hybrid application, comprising outline plans for 113 houses and full plans for 36, would have bridged the gap behind the already existing development on Arthur Moody Drive and Forest Hills and recently approved and built developments.
Going against officer recommendation, the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee argued the single point of access for the old and the new estate leading to Broadwood Lane was ‘completely inappropriate’.
Cllr Vanessa Churchman said she was worried about how adequate the access was into the existing development, let alone adding to it.
She said:
“I cannot understand how traffic coming out of that exit 9onto Gunville Road) would cause nothing but a traffic jam. It must currently be a nightmare … adding houses is totally wrong.”
Speaking on behalf of residents, Sue Cook objected for a number of reasons, saying the potential effects would be truly devastating.
Andrew White, on behalf of the applicant, pointed out the Isle of Wight Council had failed to meet its housing targets and as such is under the presumption in favour of sustainable development, so the council should only turn down applications for new housing if there was significant or demonstrable harm that would outweigh the benefits.
Mr White said modelling suggested the development would only add 4 car lengths to the queues down Carisbrooke High Street at the peak afternoon time.
This would not be a strong highways safety reason for refusal.
Islan Roads objected to plans for the 113 houses due to the negative impact it would have on the wider highways network, especially at the Waverley roundabout at the top of Carisbrooke High Street.
Highways engineer, Alan Ransom, said the junction would be exceeding, capacity in four years, before any more developments were approved.
There was nothing that could be done to improve it.
If the application were to be approved, Mr Ransom said it would only exacerbate the capacity issue.
Cllr Matthew Price, who proposed the motion to refuse the scheme, said he was struggling to see how they were considering Browadwood Lane as access for an extra 150 houses.
Strategic manager for planning and infrastructure delivery, Ollie Boulter, said the council has been trying to find a more holistic highways solution in the area.
On the outline plans for 113 houses, all eligible committee councillors voted to reject the development, on the grounds vehicle movements would result in signficantly adverse effects on the capacity of the highways network and construction traffic would compromise the residential amenity.
Councillors were split, however, on the full permission for 36 homes, with some arguing the smaller development would provide homes the Island needs.
Cllr Chris Quirk proposed approval of the 36, with Cllr Geoff Brodie seconding but he said he was not absolutely convinced with the application.
The proposal fell 6-3.
Cllr Price proposed to refuse the application on the same grounds as the 113 houses but was advised Island Roads had not objected to this part of the development.
Cllr Michael Lilley said he voted against the first part as there was clear evidence that was defendable but for the 36 houses felt it was more questionable.
The second application was also rejected, however, with the votes split six and three again — Cllrs Brodie, Churchman, Price, Claire Critchison, Rodney Downer and Martin Oliver in favour of rejecting the development and Cllrs Lilley, Quirk and Michael Beston against.
Mr White said modelling suggested the development would only add 4 car lengths to the queues down Carisbrooke High Street at the peak afternoon time.
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Andrew white is clearly not inputting the correct variables into his modelling – 149 homes, with an assumption that probably all of them would have at least one car and should be working – means 149 car lengths at peak times.
i guess the guy is clutching at straws to ram through yet another disgusting and unwanted development that would destroy more of the islands greenfields.
Guess he must be getting a nice pay off to make sure this happens…. like alot of them
And to all the people who go banging on about how it’s alright for loads of people to move here from other areas because the IW is “merely just a part of the UK”, that can not apply to an island as there is not the space for it to go expanding. If loads of people from down here wanted to move in large numbers and build houses all over the Yorkshire Moors or all over the Lake District, or anywhere else in the country that would be destroying their countryside, the locals in those areas would be up in arms about it, and rightly so, but too many people act as though us Islanders have no right to say the same about our island.
at last common sense lets just see if they can stop the nightmare that’s going to hit ryde
Andrew White, on behalf of the applicant, pointed out the Isle of Wight Council had failed to meet its housing targets and as such is under the presumption in favour of sustainable development, so the council should only turn down applications for new housing if there was significant or demonstrable harm that would outweigh the benefits..
…
The arrogance of the man is breathtaking – what some pen pusher who lives miles away in london says is irrelevant. Housing targets are the completely wrong approach, as they actively encourage over building.
the island should decide how many houses, not someone who doesn’t live here.
Andrew White, ex IOW Planning Officer, one of the many purveyors of the ‘out-of-date Island Plan’ and ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’. Plenty of his repetitive and ’tilted balance’ reading material on the IOW planning portal.
The Isle of Wight Council, NEEDS to decide if this Island should stay a tourist attraction… or become a housing estate. If all these proposed, plus loads more to come, go ahead… There will be nothing for tourists, no wildlife, no more protected animals, no scenery, no quaint country roads. If they make Newport a CITY, then that will be the start of complete ruination of this RURAL Island.
Now apply the same common sense to all the other money grabbing developments across the Island
So why did planning officers recommend this development when Island Roads strongly objected, and then the councillors jumped on the bandwagon?
What’s a planning department for?
Planning departments are clearly for taking cheeky back handers
probably because the planning department isn’t fit for purpose and doesn’t have much of a green ethos running through it – they blindly stick to irrelevant targets for houses, set by idiots who do not live here, which just encourages more people to move here and crushes the infrastructure and destroys the environment.
The planning department need to be overhauled and those that actively encourage this over development need to be removed
I see Bridie was attention seeking again by voting for the development, even though he wasn’t completely convinced about the application . SO WHY VOTE FOR IT ? Clown
Planning Department, is a place where they divide up all the little brown envelopes, so it seems..
Rural roads are not house lined both sides, keep this Island RURAL.. MUST start thinking further ahead and state, CANNOT build any more homes on this Island, or it will not be what it is ..imagine this Island with no more tourists… no more beautiful scenery.. Mainlanders in offices, looking at building blueprints, do not care about what is here
“failed to meet housing targets” – that would be the targets set by central government and distributed carte blanche to local councils with absolutely no regard to what is actually needed (or more importantly NOT needed) at a local level.
Good – i’m glad we have “failed” on that one.
Yes and yet another new set of targets and some more taxpayer cash has just been handed out to build bigger homes to accommodate their newly imported guests because of the giant size of their families. Meanwhile our own kids are pushed even further away from getting their own houses as central government and local councils dish them out to new arrivals like confetti
If 113 homes were built, that would mean about 200 more cars, unknown where that person gets 4 car lengths from.. if half of those cars were used for school runs and shopping, that is still more than 4 car lengths, plus where would they park to shop..? Especially in the summertime with all the tourists.. and that would also mean 200 + more cars at Coppins.. !!
How much is your idea of ‘ affordable ‘ Island homes??
These people and the companies are only interested in money, they show NO interest in this Island. This is supposed to be a rural Island, full of natural scenery and wildlife,
I don’t know if anyone else feels like this but all this building & proposed building is actually getting me down ? I have lived here most of my life & went to school here on the Island so I have seen the changes for myself & especially after this summer it is blatantly overcrowded & I fear for the future after just retiring & was looking forward to it but not if going anywhere takes longer & longer, for the first time ever I am contemplating moving to the mainland somewhere remote & quiet Outer Hebrides maybe ?
Yes, we often hear about how the mental health of people has been affected by the lockdown etc, but people who care about the environment and quieter people who just long for some peace have to suffer on a daily basis by what is going on around us, but because we are not usually the types to go shouting from the rooftops like they do, we don’t get heard or cared about. I get increasingly depressed by what has happened to the Island, it is awful now compared to how it used to be, and will be even worse again if all these horrible developments go ahead.