Bob Seely MP is seeking answers from the Government as to its plans for the former Camp Hill prison site, which has remained empty and undeveloped for over 10 years. Mr Seely has repeatedly called for the Ministry of Justice to transfer the site to the Isle of Wight Council, which would free it up for the construction of affordable housing. It is estimated that the site – which was last used in March 2013 – could provide up to 1,200 new homes. To date, a decision on the future use of the site has not yet been made, however, the Island’s MP said he now understands the Government may be reassessing its position on the site. In a letter to Prisons Minister, Edward Argar, Mr Seely said:
“I once again urge you to ensure that the site is used for affordable housing. I also urge you to expedite a community or Isle of Wight Council bid for the site. “We need land for affordable housing, and we are getting overwhelmed by unsustainable greenfield development. Camp Hill is a vital strategic site for the Island and will ease current pressures on the Island’s green spaces. “If you are considering marketing the site, I would like to ask for an urgent meeting with you now, so that we can look at other options.”
Mr Seely said he will provide an update once a response has been received from the Minister.
“Affordable” housing…
Social housing might have been a better grovel, but that wouldn’t be in his spectrum.
We dont want social housing as soiled mattresses will be dumped in hedges, prams filled with varying hued children will be shoved along by fake eyelashed, spray tanned mothers, nail a foot long, with the undeclared tattooed baseball capped, grey hoody, black gym wear wearing ‘latest’ live in sire for the next brood will be leaving in some elderly BMW with a boot full of drugs to deal with to up the tax credits and free rent and c.tax provided by working people, the social ‘home’, all clad in grey furniture, with stencils proclaiming LOVE etched on the wall, but no sign of it as they argue and fight, each day.
brilliant! Spot on!
Too little,too late,youve had 5 years to do this,and surprise surprise,you start crawling out from under your rock,election looming?
cannot wait to vote you out,you utterly abhorrent amoeba!
Exactly! You only react too little far too late……
Is there an election coming? This guy is no good for the Island. He’s had his chance..
One expects it would be in HMG’s interests to fill the place with the flotsam which drifts daily in our direction. Whilst it may please all the over the hill, dumped, single ‘muvers’ to have a lithe lover for a few months and a buggy full of dusky children to then claim free housing, council tax, and an income for decade from, it is not so appealing to those who will be funding it all forever more.
With our prisons full to bursting, it’s original use would seem the most apt.
Half a sausage houdini has been nowhere to be seen for years and now he is everywhere like a bad case of scabies,must be an election coming up. Say goodbye Bob.
Because ot a an idion
Why not turn it into a Migrant Prison probably be cheaper than using Hotels
You’re playing with fire, Bruce lol
Because they don’t lock them up, there’s already lots on the island in hotels , who is going to want to holiday here ,its completely changed in the last 6 months!
The problem is that developers do not want to build affordable houses because they have to be sold at a considerable discount on the true market value. Having to build affordable houses on a new development also puts off developers because potential buyers don’t want to live near social housing. On the mainland, developers now often work together and build their quota of affordable housing on a separate suitable site, which makes their new developments desirable and keeps social housing where people want it. This approach makes more sense. Developers on the island could be given land on the Camp Hill site to build affordable properties in return for them being allowed to build the desirable houses that make big bucks elsewhere.
True value is overinflated by greed in the UK that is why the capatalist model does not work for all of society
Especially when 1 in 21 adults in the uk is now a landlord. Inflates the price and the housing crisis.
Clever, don’t you think? Suddenly popping up to show just how much he cares on so many issues we’ve all been complaining about for years, whilst simultaneously giving a dog-whistle nudge for people to start shrieking
‘WHAT??? 1200 IMMS? Go ‘ome we’re full. Comin’over ‘ere, takin’ are cancel tax’. Win win for him, I’d say.
On behalf of the Council I was in negotiations with the Home office but ran out of time to conclude any deal as I retired in 1996 & still nothing has advanced
We have a daily increasing population that the government cannot house.
I bet my bottom dollar they aren’t looking to sell the site for affordable housing…..
The best us of these buildings would be to house the endless illegals filling our country and impoverishing the working people in having to fund them.
As it has had security measures in the past, then it wouldn’t be too expensive to update these to ensure these troublesome people could be kept encapsulated within, to prevent the rapes, and stabbings which so often happen once these people are free to mix amongst society.
Renamed “Little Gazza” to remove the stigma of past prison association, then, if only males were employed to give these parasites the basics to survive until they are removed from our society it could be an answer to our growing problem.
these parasites!?? really, what nasty person you are, havnet got. clue have you, own little words , veer had your home taken away and then walked 2000 miles to try and survive, no , didn’t think so, you are the parasite…..little Gazza, you for real?/
No no no….that’s not me, that’s John Bond. He’s trolling me, and the slightly different name I used yesterday in an attempt to stop him. He’s now using both, plus his own in an attempt to drum up likes for his hate speech. And yes, he is a nasty little person. NEVER expect anything discriminatory to come out of my mouth. I’m Karen, and it’s very nice to meet you island guy. Oh, and I CAN spell Gaza.
What is it with this karen trying to pick fights with everyone? Can we just have normal comments in the comments sections rather than all this political ranting and silly bickering.
I have a right to an opinion as much as anyone on here. Politics shape all of our lives, and I would love to end freedom of speech, which will happen soon as the racial ban with be replaced with hate crime laws.
Then you thick lot will only be able to say nice things which fit in with the Governments agenda.
Islanders are so backwards.
You really know how to win us over with your sweet words. I would be insulted if I wasn’t so backward.
…”Government may be reassessing its position on the site”.
Bob knows they’ll be needing a cheaper alternative to Rwanda so no wonder he’s getting hot under the collar.
1,200 homes with potentially 2000 cars = gridlock. You can’t send everyone down to coppins bridge, major changes would be needed including a bridge over the Medina.
Primary schools will be closing around the island, I suggest closing every school and building one big school here for all ages.
Then you can build housing estates on the old school sites which will spread the load of new people around the island instead of having them all on the edge of Newport.
Or if you do not like that idea then build a second hospital on the prison site. Link it to St Mary’s with an underground tunnel for ease of access.
Another crazy idea. Can you imagine the total carnage as the cars driven by the parents of all school age children on the island converge on this location to do school drop offs? I wouldn’t worry about schools John because the rapidly declining birth rate on the island means that there will soon be no need for any.
Should newcomers arrive en masse, then plenty of need for school places, as well as ‘single parent’ benefit offices.
Re-open it and bang up all the Islands Drink and Drug drivers
it will be full to Capacity in under a month
here here !!
pop-up Bob strikes again…
give it up Bob,
no amount of poping up for photo-opertunities, in the run-up to the next GE, is going to make people think you actually do any good for the island…(or even give a flying f**K about the Island)
You and your CONservative party have had nearly 14 years of opertunity to actually do some good for the Island and this country & all you have done is made things much worse..
everything is just falling apart.
14 years of popularist policies, buz-words & sound-bites to make people believe you are trying to make things better, when in reality all that is to conceal your real aims of transferring as much money from the general populace to your already rich friends and benefactors….
The island is rapidly falling into the sea and this cock gobbler wants to build yet more houses on it he surly is a retard and we don’t need more housing developments on the island we wouldn’t have a housing problem if morons like this stopped firstly letting the mainlands criminal element move to the island where they are not known to continue their life of crime and inflicted it on us islanders so first stop letting mainland scum move here second all the immigrants should be stopped on entry to the country and turned back where they came from that’s the ones that come here the proper way the legal way the ones who come here the illegal way in their little boats and big boats should be sunk and let them all drown problem solved
Bet every single one of them have better punctuation than you though.
..every single one of them has better punctuation…
I tried hard, but couldn’t see any punctuation in this abysmally written post.
Here is an idea, maybe re open it so we can jail the people who should be locked up.
Would also bring lots of better paid jobs for the local community as jailers. Can’t think of any possible downside …
We cannot keep building houses with the Island struggling with critical St Mary’s calls being made frequently, no doctors available for appointments and no dentists either! Besides our roads have too many cars, coaches and lorry’s using them! Think again Bob Seely, get the Island sorted before adding to the crisis going on!
Is there an election coming up as this man has come out of the woodwork all of a sudden?
What a great idea re-open it as a prison
Get the inmates to repair and restore it as part of their doing time
It will creates jobs for the island
here are some options for conversion or of repurposing the buildings.
Or a Police hub, open one day a week for 30 minutes. Oh, hang on. It would need to be refurbished first, at the taxpayer’s cost.
Yes! Of course, we haven’t got enough empty ‘creative or arts’ centres.
He probably has”significant yet undeclared interest in a development Company! The only reason “Seldon seen” would lower his gaze too “affordable housing” no good to his masonic chums after all unless they are in line to build them, and Hmp has absolutely no intention of releasing the site Bob as you would know if you asked some of your pals up the greasy pole, it’s earmarked to re open after a, refit if prison situation gets any worse!. Another election winner to throw at the “common folk” which is a no brainier.
Sideshow Bob strikes again. Cretin.
Here is another idea. The old bill are looking to move house so…..build a new police station on the same site.
That way, they won’t have to walk too far if they want to feel the collar of those that will end up living there!
Maybe even move the fire station too so that the developers can finally get their hands on the entire corner of Pyle Street and the fire brigade won’t even have to start the appliances to put the inevitable fires out.
Lastly, pick up the floating farce and mount it outside on a plinthe as a symbol of total council ineptitude.
Try stopping 2nd home ownership and we wouldn’t need any more housing , affordable or otherwise!
Since there are insufficient prison places, the answer should be obvious, even to the cretins who purport to run this country.
Given the current shortage of prison places, surely the obvious use is to return it to service as a prison? I am surprised Mr Seely hasn’t thought of this before – oh, but there wasn’t an election looming, was there?
Relocate County Hall there, all offices in one location and plenty of parking, then sell the town site to reinvigorate Newport
I believe the fiasco that replaced St. Mary’s roundabout was connected to the building of hundreds of homes on the Camphill site. Along with the ones that will be built off Horsebridge Hill I pity anyone who lives north of Coppins Bridge. It will be total chaos on the roads around there for the majority of the day and as for affordable housing!!!!!!
Reopen it and make it a borstal for the feral brats being bred on a daily basis