Work at the former education centre at Branstone Farm in Apse Heath is going well.
The Isle of Wight Council and Island businesses have joined together, using funds from the government, the Solent LEP and private partners, to create a new £13.6 million scheme which includes affordable housing, an outdoor education area, new green space, a rural business park, and a new brewery and visitor centre.
Isle of Wight councillors took the opportunity to visit the site and see how the construction is progressing.
Lora Peacey Wilcox, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said:
“The Branstone Farm development is a good example of working to support nature and sustainability.
“This is an important theme to all this work, and our partners at Vectis Housing and Homes England have been very supportive in making sure this is an appropriate development in this countryside location.
“With our Island partners and contractors we are creating a rural resource that will be a key part of delivering the recovery which our residents deserve.
“Regeneration means a better chance of jobs, housing and prosperity for the Isle of Wight – and we can show that our regeneration strategy is delivering real results at Branstone.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Julie Jones-Evans, councillor for regeneration, said:
“I was impressed to see the foundations going in for the new business park we are building on the site of the old farm buildings.
“This business park will be a state-of-the-art rural business centre of around 14,000 ft², which will provide employment for local people by offering much-needed working space for new and growing Island firms.
“This new project will strengthen our partnership with The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, which will be relocating to Branstone Farm once the business park is complete and will be leading on the letting and management of the units.
“We’re also going to house the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team here, which makes sense, given their championing of our biosphere status.”
So there going to plant young trees to replace the Beautiful mature trees they cut down
Absolutely disgusting , regeneration work ,smoke screen for now ruined !
IF they do re plant small weak trees they will be snapped off by the ‘assisted’ rental sector.
Watch the beauty vanish as more breeding hutches are first filled, then over filled then on to the next green patch until NONE are left.
Exactly! The scummy types don’t appreciate any nice areas and nearly always see young trees as something to be snapped off, Plus throwing all their rubbish and takeaway wrappers into the hedgerows. Yet the do gooders still persist in insisting that they must be integrated among everyone else because that will make them better people. It just brings the area down to their level and those not like them who are able to, move away.
Not regeneration for the environment there. The complete opposite.
Maybe a reference to Mr EalthandAfty re the not so well fitting safety helmet would be a good idea. Lead by example my man!
Let’s hope this state of the art business park is as successful as the island technology park in whippingham which again council bureaucrats and public sector agencies told us was going to provide all manner of high tech, high paid employment for islanders, oh and also all those marine employment opportunities that were going to be created by all those businesses which we were told would flock to the medina behind the penny feathers mass housing development. Fingers crossed folks!
Regeneration, what a damn joke, it should read “Destruction Work”
I didn’t think I could get any more fed up at seeing what is going on on this Island, but it just gets worse and worse. So bloody depressing. Once it’s ruined, it’s ruined. Disgraceful.