Residents have slammed a major residential development in a quiet Freshwater cul-de-sac.
Plans have been submitted for 38 houses and 12 flats — 18 of those marked for affordable housing — in an extension to Birch Close in Freshwater.
The application by Tallulah Estates is proposed for the greenfield site, which used to be agricultural land, at the end of the close and is said by them to ‘strike a balance’ between making efficient use of the site while fitting in ‘comfortably’ with the residential character of the area.
As part of the public consultation, however, residents have hit out at the development with the Isle of Wight Council receiving 24 objections so far.
Birch Close residents have expressed deep concerns about the ‘visual intrusion and infringement’ to their privacy should the application be approved as six windows of one of the two-storey block of flats would directly look into their gardens.
Another said:
“This greenfield development will completely destroy Birch Close and no doubt the lives of the residents; I would go as far as to suggest that the devastation wrought will have a serious, direct and detrimental effect on their psychological health and general well being.”
The ‘drastic change’ has been branded as urbanisation being ‘forced’ upon residents, with some under the impression that the green space would not be built on when they bought their homes.
One said it seemed utterly immoral to give it permission with other objections citing potential pressure on the drainage system, the flooding the site is prone to, light and noise pollution as reasons the application should be rejected.
Freshwater Parish Council said it would be a major overdevelopment of the land.
With other big developments already approved, and some underway, in the Colwell area, the increase in traffic the proposed housing would bring was also deemed excessive.
Island Roads recommended the application be refused on four grounds, including inadequate vehicle access visibility for 17 of the plots, insufficient onsite pedestrian provision and a lack of green travel measures.
The highways authority said should the council approve the development, it would recommend installing double yellow lines on both Birch Close and Colwell Road, due to the issues they saw during their site inspection.
Local ecology concerns have also been raised, one through the Isle of Wight’s Badger Trust as a sett is present and badgers use the space of neighbouring properties.
Comments on the application, 21/00357/FUL, will be accepted until 6th April.
An appalling over- development but all the time national governments are importing 300,000 net new people each year and have done for the last 24 years, millions of new homes have to be built to accommodate them – voting lib/lab/con/green and you are voting to sustain this mass immigration(as they all favour it) – the people buying these houses will be displaced from areas where the state wants to settle their new arrivals so it is inevitable that vast swathes of the south East will be concreted over with ever smaller rabbit hutches to make room for everyone
perhaps those behind tullah estates need speaking to personally, about protecting the environment. I bet they do not live in the middle of housing estates.
Interesting point that Freshwater Parish haven’t kicked it into touch completely, they just say it is overdevelopment. Any amount of houses at the end of what is a residential close would constitute an overdevelopment, let alone 50.
It has nothing to do with local housing need and don’t me misled by the 18 affordable properties. If they sell at “under market value” which is the work around to make them “affordable” the developers still get full price for the property. The council make up the difference (as in you and I) A drop in the ocean against selling the 32 houses at full value of £500,000 each as a low estimate…
What is affordable housing?
Housing that someone can afford to buy.
As a large portion of Island living people are on low wages, i wonder how many of them could afford a so called affordable house?
God forbid someone would want to create jobs and housing that is affordable for the local population. All the NIMBY lot are going to run out of people to change their colostomy bags and clean their scabby feet.
It would be very applaudable if someone did build housing that is affordable for the local population, but this proposed development has nothing to do with that.
The average price (going by the Meadows development just across the road) is likely to be around £560,000 for a 3 bedroom house. At a good guess then the 4 beds will be around £625,000. The “affordable” apartments sold for £228,000 with the market discount, still sound affordable?
Cover the whole island with concrete and new houses but the percentage of ‘affordable” properties would still be small.
Affordable or not, building on greenfield sites should be made illegal.
Yes, before they all disappear under concrete. Welcome to “Concrete Isle”, visitors!