Long-awaited plans to regenerate Ryde High Street are set to move forward with immediate effect after Councillor Reuben Loake says bureaucracy holding up the project has been removed.
Councillor Loake, who represents Ryde North West, has announced that work to progress the regeneration can now get underway following a meeting with council officers last week.
The scheme has been around 6 years in the planning, with funding having been secured through the Heritage Action Zone programme.
However, Councillor Loake says the High Street had still not been regenerated as residents had previously been promised, something he described as a source of frustration.
After meeting with officers involved in the project, he says the issues preventing progress were identified and bureaucracy causing the delay was removed.
Cllr Loake has said:
“I have been as frustrated as you have been that after six years in the planning and having secured the funds via Heritage Action Zone the High Street has not been regenerated as you were promised.
Article continues below this advertisement “Last week I met with Council Officers involved in the project and asked the questions you have asked me, namely ‘Can we just get on with it please?!’
“They agreed and after ascertaining what was blocking the works being started, we removed the bureaucracy that was causing the delay, and now all parties are committed to starting the planning and works with immediate effect.”
An artist’s impression shared alongside the announcement shows a pedestrianised High Street featuring new street furniture, trees and planting.
Councillor Loake says further engagement with residents and local businesses will take place over the coming months, when more detailed plans will be presented and those affected will have an opportunity to ask questions and put forward suggestions.
He has thanked officers at Ryde Town Council, his predecessor Councillor Phil Jordan and Councillor Diana Conyers for their work in securing funding for the project, alongside the Strategic Regeneration and Economy team at the Isle of Wight Council.
Speaking about his ambitions for the town, Councillor Loake added:
“For far too long our beautiful town has been in decline and as I set out in my letter to residents before this year’s local elections the High Street in particular looked tired and forgotten about.
“Not anymore.”
Pig. Lipstick. Pig.
Benches for tattooed louts and their current partners to spill beer, greasy food and in the evening body fluids upon. No doubt with a few dog business bags, mixing with the cans and spliff ends blowing about underneath the benches on the new paved street.
A few twisted and shattered snapped off trees and shrubs destroyed within days becoming decorated by dog poo filled bags and alcohol tins, with the obligatory fast food boxes, splashed with sauce adding to the fragrance of the ever present dope.
The day time scene of the feral children from so called single parents, running in and out of shops, uncared for, as the car free zone gives more time for the ‘muvver’ to show the latest foot ware, or latest nail job to an equally nere do well friend, all purchased from the ‘poverty’ money the state keeps her, the children and the ‘invisible’ to the state, latest lover.
Whilst the shops reduce in number and flats to house the ‘care in the community’ and other victims of drink, drugs, or just idle nere do wells fill other seats, shouting out and adding fear to the elderly as they try buy essential from the few shops left.
Whilst the staff, have to try to watch out for shoplifters, and anti social louts, and unruly children and tolerate abuse should they ‘dare’ to try to correct any stealing or misbehaviour.
I am sure a more accurate artists impression, with soon plenty of burn sienna tones will also be needed to add more realism to the future street scene.
Still it justifies a large salary for a few at country hall no doubt and as most of the above mentioned won’t be funding it, as council tax is all sorted for them it will no dobut be welcomed by such.
Fabulous grasp of GCSE prose.
How about congratulations! a proactive, positive use of our collective tax raised funds to make our public realms a bit ‘nicer’.
Got to start somewhere, kudos where it’s due.
Why is the Island full of so many tattooed and vaping
louts “All Genders”
I have travelled all around the UK and around the world and
there is no where like the island for Tatts and Vaping
IT IS RIFE!
Years ago when a person was born with a birth mark
it meant the world to them to have it covered / removed
nowdays persons are marking themselves for life.
How times have changed.
When facial recognition takes over these persons will
be easily identified!
Bless them
The plans have been in development for so long the sketches clearly show the Barclays Bank branch which closed years ago. So what exactly was the bureaucracy that held things up for 6 years?
True but then the sketches also show Afrowight which is new? Not sure how they afford the £30,000+ annual business rates from selling hair extensions and noodles.
True! I’m concerned about the dodgy phone shops and the barbers that think conservation area signage rules don’t apply to them.
I would agree with some of what’s being said in that the council should think long and hard about the area, how they want everyone to be able to enjoy it and how its perceived by not only island residents but visitors.
They need to think about how to build out the issues before they begin. In that I mean considering how the street at pavement level is managed, look at banning the consumption of alcohol, banning smoking of any kind & banning the riding of cycles through it 24/7 with a fixed £100 fine for anyone breaching it reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days or doubled if not paid within the time limit.
Who want to walk through a pedestrianised area either as an adult or a parent with a baby or children to see drinkers or drunks or have to breath in someones smoke from their cigarettes or even worse smell from those smoking drug related parafinalier and taking over all the seats.
So if the council are fully behind making this happen then do it for everyone to enjoy and not for the few to ruine.
What is the matter with you people? Ryde is a great place to live, and unlike some seaside places, is lively all year. It’s the biggest town on the Island, so it’s bound to have its share of social issues, but it’s beautiful, has great independent shops and restaurants and a fantastic programme of events throughout the year. Those of us who live here are lucky.
Please learn from other towns which have been rejuvenated with funds from the Heritage Action Zone. As stated by another contributor, ‘Pig, lipstick, pig’.
The town centre of Northampton has, like many town centres, deteriorated. Many mainstream retailers couldn’t afford the continual hikes in business rates, amid rising theft. No coppers on the beat as they were more concerned with ‘hurty tweets’.
Northampton Town Centre has become nothing but a dive, with all mainstream retailers gone, taking their business to ‘out-of-town retail sites’. Nowadays, the town centre is full of Nail Bars, Turkish Barbers, Vape Shops, Fast-food eateries and Charity Shops.
Locals stated what they wanted and needed, yet the previous Labour Council, which went bust, still thought it was a good idea to apply funding to the Heritage Action Zone to convert the local Market Square and High Street into ‘The 21st Century’.
£14.5 million was awarded to polish up the town. After continuing delays and the destruction of historical pavements and walkways, the work is complete. Sadly, many local traders have disappeared. No new ’21st Century’ retailers have appeared. It’s the same town: high criminality, fly-tipping, violence, theft, with a bit of polish.
Yes, there are now new pavements and flower beds (which have since been ripped out). Wooden huts for traders to trade from, but people are not visiting the town centre.
Many traders who returned to the Market Square and leased one of the new Wooden pods have since closed their business due to lack of footfall.
Why pay £2.20 for 1 hour parking when I can drive 1.5 miles out of town to a Retail Park where parking is free, and every brand is available?
What Ryde needs is something to entice people to visit the High Street.
Firstly, implement free parking for the first 2 hours. Provide retail units that will entice people to shop there. Have Coppers visible on the beat, assuring retailers that their presence will prevent theft and other crime.
I remember, in the early ’80s, when I worked for International Stores, Ryde High Street was buzzing. The demise of Ryde High Street was marked by the opening of Tesco on Brading Road.
With the change in retail habits, such as ordering food online, there are only so many coffee shops, barbers, and nail bars a town needs.
I want the money Ryde has been awarded from the Heritage Action Zone to be used to restore and maintain the shop fronts, and to provide more waste bins, which should be emptied once a day. For businesses to join together with the Council and have a say in what type of new business ought to be leased, so as to increase footfall.
Excellent points, I hope the promised consultation is a genuine exercise rather than limited to the choice of plants in the flower beds (as per the seafront) because they’ve sat on the project for so long and now need to be seen delivering. Regular maintenance and cleaning is also important, we cannot rely on the rain alone the interior paving in esplanade station is filthy and has never been cleaned.
What about Sandown
Trees and seats and no litter will improve any area. Flower beds in a shopping precinct are a waste of time and space.