The green light has been given to demolish a former Isle of Wight Council building — although the future of the site is still undecided.
The Isle of Wight Council has been accepting expressions of interests and bids for the future of the site on Sandy Lane — with or without Thompson House on it.
One of those comes from Random-Rooms, who announced last week on its Facebook page it was ‘exceedingly happy’ to have submitted its bid to the council to take on the site. Last month, the company, based in Newport, said it had a much more creative idea than demolishing the building by expanding the business and adding a second location.
There is, however, the potential to build houses on the site — which is why the council put forward the application to demolish the former education centre as it received money from the government.
The authority was given £135,000 last year as part of the brownfield release fund to demolish Thompson House and make the land suitable for a developer to build houses to bring forward houses. However, if another future is chosen for Thompson House and the building remains standing, the money will not be available for any other use.
Random-Rooms said last month it would be a serious challenge to compete with residential developers but it liked a challenge and was prepared to do all it could to make its crazy plans a reality.
The council said it could not comment further in July as the site was currently being marketed.
Thompson House was last used by the council in March, with the final clear-up and close-down activity in process.
Prior approval was granted last week by the authority to knock down Thompson House, despite 11 objections, with the demolition needed to be carried out within 5 years.
Objections included the unsuitability of the site for housing due to the lack of infrastructure; the impact on wildlife and an issue with flooding which could be worsened.
A much needed additional amenity for the island or build even more unwanted houses and get a big chunk of money in the process…. hmm…?
Perhaps someone, somewhere, has a closed down hotel, a holiday park or maybe even a big hole in the ground that used to be a major eyesore that they could offer to Random-Rooms.
This is typical of this council. They should have a plan, get approval, THEN close it and proceed with the plan.
Everything they do is fragmented and takes much longer than it needs. Or to put it another way, hideously inefficient !
Stupid to talk of building more houses when the authorities are failing the care for the present population, especially with regard to Doctors Surgeries.
It’s a silly place to build houses anyway, too far from normal facilities, poor access and basically in the countryside.
But just right for a few DFL rent outs eh?
What the council wants,the council gets, however much they dress it up, and however much BS lies they put out, to try and confuse us, the gullible public. Albeit most of us can read between the lines, most of the time.
More hutches coming soon !!!!
More council tax!!!!
More money in their pension pot!!!!
Never mind the infrastructure and lack of Dr’s Dentists the 1 hospital ,…..
The concrete jungle jigsaw is spreading and will continue…..
Until the Island becomes one big blob !!!!!
I’d like to know what they are going to do with the former Council building in The Heights. Are they waiting to fall into disrepair so they can knock them down, like the former cadet hut next to the church. They are still paying for the badly sited flood lights that light up the sky, carpark and Los Altos path causing light pollution and affecting wildlife including the bats.
The building is going to waste, such a shame.