Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice has visited a troubled biomass heating plant in Pan, as efforts continue to find solutions to longstanding problems that have left residents frustrated by breakdowns and poor communication.
Mr Tice, who is also the party’s spokesperson for Business, Trade and Energy, met with representatives of the Isle of Wight Council and the Pan Meadows Residents Association this morning (Monday) to discuss issues affecting the Bluebell Meadows and St George’s Gate estates.
The Barratt and David Wilson Homes development is served by a communal biomass plant on Foundry Road, operated by Pan Management Company, which burns wood chippings to provide heating and hot water.
Residents have previously reported repeated outages, concerns over costs and difficulties obtaining information when the system fails. Island Echo reported on an outage back in January.
Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, has said:
“The biomass plant, the costs, the continuing breakdowns is a serious concern. It’s a concern most importantly to the residents.
“Like any technology, heat networks, if it works, that’s great, but if it goes wrong or someone hasn’t properly installed it, properly fitted it, then it can be bluntly a nightmare for residents.”
“I used to be a house builder, so I understand sometimes what happens in these processes.
Article continues below this advertisement “You’ve got to install this stuff properly, and the drawback with heat networks is that if you get it wrong, everybody’s vulnerable to it. That’s the flaw.”
Mr Tice said he could raise the matter at a senior level with Barratt Homes to apply further pressure and help secure improvements.
Jess Brown, representing the Pan Meadows Residents Association, said communication had been a major frustration, with residents often left unaware of the reasons behind breakdowns or when services would be restored.
Jess said:
“We weren’t really told about what exactly was going on, how long it was gonna be out for, and a lot of people had to have radiators brought to them and things like that.”
She added that households had previously been without heating or hot water for almost 3 weeks, raising particular concerns for elderly and disabled residents.
Ms Brown also claimed requests for information from Barratt Homes and Panmanco had gone unanswered, while attempts to secure resident representation on the management board had been rejected.
The visit also highlighted wider longstanding problems across the development, including flooding, drainage issues and delays in the adoption of roads.
Councillor Martin Bower, Reform UK Isle of Wight councillor for Pan and Barton, said progress had been difficult, with efforts to resolve outstanding matters involving Barratt Homes.
Cllr Bower has said:
“My view is that we need to somehow get everybody round the table, planning, highways, Barratt Homes, everybody round the table to establish exactly what the stumbling block is to enable us to move forward.”
He said a meeting with Barratt Homes was expected in the coming weeks, with the aim of identifying solutions rather than assigning blame.
Richard Tice described the flooding concerns as inexcusable and suggested an independent engineer might be needed to assess the drainage system. He stressed that biomass technology could work effectively if properly installed and maintained, but warned that failures in communal heating networks could leave large numbers of residents vulnerable.
