Ambitious plans to install specialist heating elements under the beach at Ryde in a bid to make the area an inviting, year-round attraction have been revealed.
It may be a fantastic day out in the Summer and during the shoulder months, but Ryde Sands can be somewhat chilly come the end of September and throughout the winter period.
Now, as part of the redevelopment of Ryde Esplanade and the harbour area, officials are hoping to heat things up with the installation of specialist equipment.
Under the plans, which have been formally announced today (1st April), heating elements will be put in place between Ryde Harbour and Cornwall Slip – an area once popular with beachgoers but that has fallen out of fashion in recent years.
It’s hoped that the heated sand will be enough to draw visitors away from Appley beach, which has grown in popularity.
A planning application is expected to be submitted to the Isle of Wight Council within a matter of weeks.
That will be the raw sewage rotting away under foot then.
01/04/22
not a bad attempt at April fools item
This sounds like a great idea, although I’m a bit concerned about the new heat source attracting unwanted wildlife such as winter sharks or Poole’s famous golden-backed alligators.
April 1st… suckers 🙂
Great April Fools
That weather forecast you ran earlier in the week would have been more appropriate if run today…’Hats, gloves and boots at the ready as snow is being forecast for the Isle of Wight’
So people struggling to heat their homes, and we are paying to heat up a bloody beach!…you just couldn’t make it up.
I’m buying a tent and going to live on Ryde beach, free heat all year round…
you could make it up
Nearly fell for it! Not bad this year IE, well done.
You could of done a story about building new free toilets instead though.
Or the floating bridge working…
I swear your April fools jokes get more pathetic every year
Maybe ur pathetic
Is this an April 1st prank???
Yes I know the date, but please don’t joke like this! Ryde Town Council are probably forming a committee to manage this as we speak! They will be investing our council tax in another hair brained scheme 🙂
Who pays the bill, heating is expensive. Half of Ryde will be sleeping down there at night now energy bills have risen.
Will resemble Calcutta within a few years.
I have been informed by an anonymous councillor that the the heating is both green and zero cost to the public as a pipeline is being laid with the help of Wightfibre from the council chambers at county hall and ryde town council and will pump all their hot air to the beach. it is being done to ensure all those nice little doggies who are shipped in every day by their socially considerate owners to use the beach as their dog toilet, don’t want them getting cold bottoms.
OMG, is it 1 April again?
How about heating up the sea too!
Apart from being April fools day. I could believe our local town council might consider it.
What a joke. Wasting money on a beach heating system.. wonder what that will cost.. don’t spend it on something that’s needed like the roads, idiots
Haha. Good one. Biggest joke of the day though goes to Red Funnel who again can’t run a decent service.
I’ve heard the preferred contractor is a company called Lirpa Loof.
Apparently, Portsmouth Council are working on a similar scheme. It’s been suggested that Southsea and Ryde could share the new ‘Lirpa One’ under-Solent supply cable, powered by dedicated wind-power generators on the respective beaches. To be honest, it all seems a bit foolish to me.
I did make a comment but it got ‘binned’…
Heating the ground.
What a pointless exercise.
Who pays for this – both installation / maintenance and running costs, us ?
Anyone heard fuel prices increased ?!
April the first before noon – so an April’s Fools Joke!
April Fool! Can’t you do better than that??
ANTTHING IS BELIEVABLE WITH RYDE COUNCIL HAVE A NICE APRIL FOOLS DAY
Poor attempt at an April fool
April Fools maybe?!?!?!
Is this an April Fool’s joke!?
Fantastic idea, we can use all the hot air from island echo and town hall to power it!
This scheme is designed to be carbon neutral and the cost will be met by savings whilst the floating bridge is away.
Heating will be from two sources, the first will be from heat exchangers processing the abundant free hot air produced by our councils both main and town, Bembridge parish council will supply extra hot air when needed as it is abundant supply there, the second source is a unit procured through our MP Mr Seeley and is a high capacity biodigester which up until now has been used in the House of Commons and has been replaced by a bigger unit, it is designed to run on bovine excrement direct from council HQ.
Check the date this was announced!!
Hee! Hee! April fool!!!
It’s an April fools guys so don’t fall for it.
April1st!
If true with increase of power our council tax would rocket & that’s no joke the Clouncil would love that!
You would have to be a FOOL to even consider believing this stupid idea of a story.
Blimey the % of people who had to rant should be an award for opening mouth and feet walking out before engaging brain….. Lemmings
Really worrying how many people are void of a sense of humour. Is it me or has it got worse?
And I gather they are going to build a giant windmill on the end of Ryde pier to power it. The Islands answer to the Spinnaker Tower.