Members of the public squeezed into a small Ryde Town Council committee room to discuss the ‘traffic mayhem’ expected from the planned expansion of a local industrial estate.
A plea by protestors – including a letter from Ryde Mayor Cllr Michael Lilley – that the meeting be cancelled and held at another time, at a larger venue, where planners could be questioned by the public, was turned down.
As reported by Island Echo on 19th September, planning applications relating to the extension of Nicholson Road industrial estate have been submitted to the Isle of Wight Council as part of the Island’s regeneration plans.
Residents and councillors at last Tuesday’s town council planning meeting said they feared more noise and pollution, heavy traffic and rat runs. The scheme, which will go before the Isle of Wight council, includes 15 1-bedroom flats, a community centre with a doctor’s surgery, retail units and light industry.
The committee, while supporting in principle the 2 planning applications, which will provide jobs and new homes, expressed concern that the proposed road system was inadequate.
Local residents complained that the planned doctor’s surgery would be ‘remote and inaccessible’ without a car.
Cllr Phil Jordan said he is worried that Ashey Road and Great Preston Road already pose problems…
“Traffic is bad at school run times early morning or afternoon. Parts of the roads have become rat runs.”
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Local resident Jenny Wade said she was ‘saddened and disappointed’ that the committee had decided not to hold a special public meeting:
“It’s a missed opportunity where residents could ask important questions like where are the safe pedestrian crossings, traffic calming measures, and the air pollution study?”
Cllr Jordan said after the meeting that he supported a proper public meeting as soon as possible:
“This development has taken years to get where we are today. The planners decided that the public will just get about three weeks to look at the proposals. It’s laughable. This scheme is only seeking outline planning permission so there is still plenty of time for a final detailed planning application and a proper public meeting.”
Sadly, like the Penny Feathers ‘development’ (in reality ruination), the public and Ryde council have say, but like Brexit, those with the money and REAL power, will do what they wish anyway.
At one time, they would have scaled back the ‘amount’ to ‘appear’ as if they had listened, and given a little. NOW they don’t even bother to do that.
The council own much of the land, they receive nothing from it, but once covered in concrete will receive business rates or council tax, depending if they ‘do as they say’ or, like other ‘plans’ change them once given, and add ‘social housing’ to fill with those escaping the mainland, with all the delights that will bring.
Ryde with the Rosemary land, Bullen Road, Ashey, Penny Feathers and now THIS will be ruined, the queues on all the roads in and out are terrible now in Summer, wait until this lot add to the issue.
This is not ‘organic’ Island need, it is HMG and greed of developers, the former fault allowing in so many newcomers to the UK and the latter, selfish greed, something as old as time.
Once green fields are built upon, it is not ruined for a while, but for the rest of time.
Because they have ‘sort of’ listened to the public many new proposals throw in the magic words ‘doctors surgery’ or ‘health centre’ with very little probability of them being built and if they were even less probability of them being suitably manned. Health services are inadequate NOW, stop building more houses than the Island needs and stop immigration.
the council think that more council tax revenue, is bigger pay rises for them – they are just as self centred as the developers, who couldn’t care less about the impact on the environment.
More people constantly moaning and holding the island back. A case of not in my back garden but somewhere else is ok..
No it’s not, it’s plain common sense, sadly not being listened to, but always proved right in the end. Anyway, do you live in that area?
give it a rest martin, – these people are solely interested in lining their own pockets and will continually concrete over the island until nothing is left that is natural and green.
We need more trees to take carbon out of the atmosphere and put oxygen back in. Not more polluting cars outside more concrete structures, that have taken over from the natural habitats that were there first.
You are right Martin, the island needs more housing. Just look how many houses have been turned into bed sits in Ryde. Prices are out of control. If not the island will become nothing more than a large nursing home.
no it doesn’t richard. There are too many residents on the island as it is. The roads and other amenities can barely support this level of population as it is.
we need to ensure that the island stays an island and preserves the island pace of life. You move to the mainland if you want anything else.
A generation of people who know only how to say no. They need to consider the younger generation. Where will the live? Or should our children leave the island????
the younger generation will live in the flats that the previous younger generation lived in and have moved out of. This has been the case on the island for generations.
We do not need nor want another pointless load of houses, that create more pollution, more problems, more traffic and more demand on the services that cannot even support what we have now.
what part of that are you struggling with, because the rest of us can see it clearly – this island cannot support any more developments.
The level of corruption on this island is astonishing .
Was the Isle of Wight really awarded the prestigious UNESCO Biosphere Award in June, or was I dreaming?