Planning permission has been granted for 473 new homes at West Acre Park in Ryde tonight (Tuesday) – a decision that has been welcomed by local developers, Captiva Homes.
The decision to give the green light split councillors at this evening’s planning committee meeting — with 4 members trying to find a valid reason, that would hold up at appeal, to refuse the application. They debated for over 3 hours.
Passionate pleas came from Amy Holliday, the wife of tenant farmer Nigel and current occupant of Westridge Farm, to save the green fields the family have farmed for the last 55 years. Despite these pleas and a petition launched by the community, the decision went in favour of the housing scheme.
The approval for the major development – the largest in Ryde for decades – will unlock £100million of investment and add much-needed new housing stock to the local market.
The first phase of the development has already been built with 80% of the houses going to Islanders. Now, locals will soon be able to enjoy 10 hectares of open space nestled amongst 2,500 trees and benefit from a new doctor’s surgery, office space and of course a variety of open market and affordable houses for sale.
A vote was originally proposed by Councillor Chris Quirk to approve the application, saying it was a battle of the head and the heart — in his heart he wanted to save it but his head could not see a valid material planning consideration.
Councillor Geoff Brodie asked for the proposal to ensure 70% of the affordable houses be rented but the proposal was voted down, with 3 votes for, 4 against and 1 abstention.
Opposing the application, Councillors Claire Critchison, Chris Jarman, Warren Drew and John Medland put forward reasons why the application should be turned down but were warned against parts of their arguments by planning officer, Sarah Wilkinson, due to the potential for a legal challenge should the decision be appealed.
Following work from officers, Cllr Jarman proposed to reject the application on the grounds that it would be a loss of pasture land and historic landscape, which would have an impact on the heritage and culture of the area.
Cllr Geoff Brodie, who was chairing the meeting as Councillor Michael Lilley was advised against attending the meeting, said he heard all the councillors’ concerns but councillors could not expect the officers to defend the unreasonable.
He called the proposal put forward by Cllr Jarman a desperate attempt to refuse the application. Cllr Jarman’s proposal fell due to Cllr Brodie’s casting vote.
Councillor Martin Oliver, who abstained from the first vote, said he did so because he was waiting for an argument that would overrule his head and was hoping for a good enough reason to refuse it but one had not been found or put forward.
The proposal to support the development, with 71% of the affordable houses for rent, was passed with 4 votes in favour, 2 against (Cllrs Jarman and Medland) and 2 abstentions (Cllrs Drew and Critchison).
James Pink, Director at Captiva Homes, has tonight said:
“We are very pleased that the committee has approved the next phase of West Acre Park.
“When we began planning this development, it was with the goal of setting a new benchmark for housing on our Island. This decision enables us to achieve that goal, securing £100m of investment, protecting 80 local jobs and allowing us to deliver 473 desperately-needed homes – including 166 affordable homes.
“As Islanders ourselves, we recognise and embrace the responsibility that comes with our role. We are proud of our track record of delivering 100% of our planning applications and are now looking forward to playing a significant part in providing great value, high-quality homes to be enjoyed by Islanders now and for generations to come.”
A new doctors surgery is not a lot of good if you can’t find the doctors to work there.
Can’t find doctors to work here if there are no homes.
Professionals such as doctors, dentists and all other medical types. The hospital cant seem to attract staff. Is it because of a housing shortage? NO its because these people realise the Island is becoming the biggest dumping ground on the south coast. The island does not want more development, especially the residents of Ryde. Half the councillors dont want it .The MP doesn’t want it.
What about employment for these people? Can the schools cope? Brodie , something is very wrong here.
New council, why dont you put these matters to an island vote? You wouldn’t dare
The I oW mafia have spoken and will turn a family out of their home and liveleyhood for tge sake of greed on the part of the land owner, it stinks
I wonder how big the ‘sweetener’ was. This is disgusting making this poor family homeless and jobless …for what? Another concrete jungle. You think the flooding was bad this week watch this space
DISGUSTING DISGUSTING. Destroying farm land, wildlife, a families home. Shame on you Isle of Wight Council. Nothing really changes does it??
As per usual, the voice of the people counts for nothing.
Why was Lilley advised against turning up???? because the outcome was already decided.
It stinks around here and it’s not the cows on the farm.
Corruption at the highest level. And look how many comments on this IE site now get deleted, or never show up at all. And it’s become far more difficult to comment here now anyway, which probably means quite a few people don’t get their chance to say anything. I wonder if there are people monitoring what gets said here and issuing instructions to delete certain comments that tell things they don’t want made public? Like one I made recently, just relating to something I witnessed pertaining to the person you mentioned. Nothing really bad, just something personally witnessed, can’t say anything more or it won’t get posted,
Same crooks in charge – shame on all of you
Roads clogged up even more with bigger population
I’m truly feeling ashamed and embarrassed to live on this Island today after hearing this news. It just makes me want to run away to an area where the council is much more professional and is there as it should be, for its people!… Isle of Wight Council, you’re so embarrassing!!
Well I hope all the planning committee are happy and absolute shame on every one of them destroying the livelihood of a family and a beautiful green space, what for probably a nice fat brown envelope each and probably empty promises from greedy developers, again the council get easily sucked in. The island as it was and what people come to visit for is all but been destroyed take a look at the main road up to alum Bay for one, it’s been desimated to place million pound houses there that are aimed at wealthy pensioners, the island is becoming an urban sprawl god knows how NHS and other services are going to cope it’s at it limits now
Whilst I agree with you I don’t think there is any corruption here, they don’t have the brains to benefit from that. No, I would bet on incompetence every time with this council. It’s an egregious decision & environmental vandalism that will severely impact those who live in and around Ryde for generations! Our council are a disgrace!
A green field site. These people are truly despicable. Traffic on Malborough Road will be horrendous.
And how are they going to man this promised doctors surgery when our existing surgeries are struggling to recruit new doctors.
They couldn’t find a justifiable reason to turn it down.
I can now no longer find a justifiable reason to believe that this council represents the people of the island.
Me neither. It seems there is a ‘them against us’ mentality with the public, where objections are seen as a public tantrum rather than a representation of local views.
I’ve had enough of it all, I honestly think that objections by and large are a waste of time.
More houses, no supporting infrastructure. Sold to the council with pretty, but pointless drawings, and to top it all a family loose their home. No doubt if it had been a councillors home this wouldn’t have got passed the back of a fag packet on Friday afternoon. Shame on every single councillor that passed this.
Huge mistake. the Council should hang it’s collective heads in shame.
My heart goes out to the Holliday family, their animals and the local wildlife and green countryside. Soon to be gone. You had so much local support, but to no avail. The last farm “gone with the wind now blowing over the Island”.
The day Ryde died. The pretence of democracy finally shewn for what it is, and our children’s future stolen by the already wealthy of to-day. Oh, but do keep your local area tidy because the Council says so. They are wholly unscrupulous. Captiva-ted by cash…
Money talks Captiva walks what a bunch
This must be one of the saddest days the Island has experienced. Every tenant farmer through out the land now has no security of tenure, and can be thrown off the land at a whim of greedy land owners. So reminiscent of the Victorian Scottish Bairds evicting their people for financial gain.
Last week the Council scrapped plans for the Simeon Car park, because they say they respected the wishes of local residents……… Really??
I hope the Holiday family are well compensated, and my thoughts and heart goes out to them through this terrible time.
74% Houses for rent but no mention of the percentage that will actually be filled with islanders.No doubt there will be another influx from mainland councils willing to pay.
A new doctors surgery We cannot even fill the current GP vacancies and moving an existing over burdened practise into new premises is not the same as providing new doctors plus other health care providers is it?
Schools are full, the hospital can’t cope on a day to day basis and yet apparently like magic all the problems will be saved with the stroke of a pen.
We live in a corrupt world, and this stinks of corruption…where are all those people going to work??.
As so many of them are for rent, won’t a load of them be on housing benefit? Maybe more chavs for Ryde? What on earth is the point of ever asking residents to approve or disapprove of a planning application? It nearly always seems in every case that the decision has already been made one way or the other and the fact that people can respond with their views is only a token gesture to make it look as though they have been ‘allowed’ to have their say.
This development is a disaster. Green space is far more important than profit.
This estate will change the nature of the area forever.
A farming family has been devastated. How will they ever get over that ?
The demand on the infrastructure of the area will prove overwhelming as the properties are occupied.
The promise of a doctors surgery should not have swayed the Council as it is unlikely ever to be manned. They are only providing a building.
Our current medical and dental provision on the Island is stretched already.
The provision of 10 hectares of open space is a joke. They are destroying a further 25 hectares in the process.
shame on the council for helping greedy housing company’s make loads of money while destroying this once lovely island that’s me moving out of Ryde going to be a bloody nightmare why did we vote these idiots in
Utter Scum. Absolutely no regard for what the island people want. An utter disgrace. Ruining our island left right and centre.
Money changes hands, deleting all previous covenants and agreements.
No protection of land when the sound of silver jangles.
This is your IOW.
If they’re Islanders like they say then they should know that majority of Islanders are against this and any other mass sprawl. I’m not an islander I moved here because I love the green spaces and yes it is maybe behind the times but that’s what people love about it. This goes from Marlborough rd right up to Bullen rd at Pondwell with a big dip in the middle — what about flooding , after this last 2 weeks of downpours surely this shows this is going to be a disaster in future.
In the end big business won. All those houses, extra traffic. A doctors surgery is all well and good but where do you think you will find the doctors to operate it, most JPs headed for the hills at the first lock down and have stayed there. What about dental surgery’s ?? . the list goes on. This is proof that the council does not represent the people, it represents Captiva Homes.
Sadly even if the council tried to turn this down, Whitehall would overturn it because central government are demanding the concreting over of southern England in order or house the millions of people they have imported and continue to import – nobody stands a chance in stopping the bulldozers when westminster and Whitehall are keeping the floodgates firmly propped open and their new planning laws are intended to make it even easier for them to permit mass building to facilitate their mass unlimited immigration policies – we don’t want this, we didn’t vote for it but nobody in government or Whitehall wants it stopped
It’s probably this government’s idea of “levelling up”, bring the supposedly more affluent areas of the south down and then no one can accuse the gov of keeping those areas better, so make them worse instead. And the do gooders will probably love it and think it’s teaching the residents a lesson, why should they have a nice area? make all areas equally bad. That’s what it looks like, and yet the people behind it all will be living in better areas themselves. I dread to think what the Island will look like in just a few years from now, it’s changed so much in the last fifty, even twenty, years, almost unrognisable now, in a bad way.
Who were the councillors who voted in favour of this?????
Id love to know that too
MOTION IN FAVOUR: Brodie. Quirk. Brading. Oliver.
MOTION AGAINST: Jarman. Drew, Critchison, Medland.
Brodie got a casting vote as chairman because it was split and so the motion against did not succeed.
Incorrect.
ABSTAINED Critchinson and Drew
Cowards
A dark day for the island and democracy. The vast majority of people were against this development because of where it was and what it would do to the area, a farm, a family and a business. Unfortunately it would seem that an unelected body of people (planning department) do not take any account of the electorate’ when it comes to making decisions this will create a precident where all green areas and farmland can now be developed. As previously stated a dark day for the island, wildlife, a family a business and for the newly elected alliance!!
Why was councillor Lilley advised not to attend the Planning Meeting and by whom?
It appears he was to chair the meeting ?
This information needs to be made public.
Also reading between the lines of this article it seems to me that the application was passed simply because the developers lawyers would overturn an adverse decision because the Council cannot afford to fight appeal after appeal.
This is not democracy.
I could spend a lot of time writing here, but it would be pointless and I’d be wasting my time, because even if it did get posted, it would soon be removed. Freedom of speech is long since dead and buried in this country and it happened with hardly anyone noticing. A bit like how halal meat crept in under the radar.
If we are to have these houses forced upon us then a binding clause should be added that they be for existing Islanders only!
And no Islander should be allowed to live elsewhere?
I do agree but this would not be enforceable Too many loopholes , but you are morally correct.
Sad days for democracy.
Yes, true
The directors of Captiva Homes Ltd made a great deal of the fact that they are a local business.
If so why do they have the correspondence address for all their current directors as Poole in Dorset.
If they are so proud of being an Island Company then have an Island correspondence address !!
I accept that they live here. All the more strange to use a Poole address ?
That is their accountants address in Poole they do not even employ a firm of island accountants or matbe island accountants will not touch them with a barge pole
We need names
I wonder how many of these councillors are born and bred here. They have no love for the island they are wanting to destroy.
And who is behind all this…. yep BALL.
Not Pink, he’s just small fry.
The ironic thing is BALL moved off the island years ago to avoid the backlash.
This now opens up the way for him to link Ryde with Nettlestone and Seaview.
This approval just makes it easier for him to now move Ryde even further out.
All involved in this catastrophic decision should be ashamed of themselves.
So here we have a lovely greenfield site, when it rains the water is soaked up by the land or crops so what do our council decide??? Concrete over around 75% of the whole area, Put a few new drains in then connect them to an already overloaded drainage system that couldn’t cope 10 years ago when they had to install pumps to shift rainwater overflow! OBVIOUSLY any flooding will occur further downstream and many years will be spent trying to sort out the issues before some bright spark realises that a building project of this size needs a huge overall of ALL drainage issues in Ryde… and guess who will be paying for that?
1. Are these houses really going to be for islanders ?
2. Are they going to do a deal with mainland housing and move them over ?
3. Are they for islanders already registered with our Doctors’s and schools etc ?
4. I guess it’s the same story making out it’s to benefit the housing shortage for island families but won’t go to those in desperate need of a home . I feel for the poor farmer and family
Where is our MP when this kind of thing happens I thought he was our representative to ensure whats fair for the IOW, oh wait he does not live here and he would rather vote for foreign aid to be continued. The Councillor for my ward i have heard correct me if i am wrong is at University so again is not on the Island?. The Island should be classed as a National Park so things can be differently approached when it comes to development. The developers will destroy the Island as long as the national calculation for housing is applied. Does anyone know exactly how many people on the Island need to be housed? I suspect it is not a large number.
Hang on, Stephen – M.P. Seeley objected officially, as did Mr M Lilley, just like hundreds and hundreds of others. Sadly all our objections have become as ashes – even though we try and try, using common sense and excellent reasons against over-development (as is our democratic right) – but every green space seems to be “open season” for developers. – I feel so much sadness for the whole farm and the Holliday family. If there is “such a desperate need for housing” on the Island, why make an indigenous hard working, environmentallly-caring working-farming family homeless? It is beyond belief.
If developers want to help with facilities why dont they build and fit out a new hospital? that would be better than a doctors, shops etc.
And pay for the running of it
Ball and his back handers win again .
If, thirty years ago, couples had restricted themselves to one child fewer as their family, then there would now be no need for this development.
The population in the UK was stable and actually falling slightly until a certain government decided it would open the floodgates back in 1997 – a policy which has been continued every year since by all the inhabitants of Westminster and Whitehall – it is also laughable that Gre@n Party or Labo@r Party members object to building these massive developments when at national level their parties both want to open the borders wider – it has nothing to do with indigenous people having one less child but everything to do with unlimited and uncontrolled immigration and the significantly higher birth rates they bring with them
The councillors need to justify this decision to the public because nobody can understand why they have made this egregious ruling. I suspect its because they knew houses had to be built, and since none of those who approved this actually live, or care, about this area they gave it the go ahead. It’s totally the wrong place & environmental vandalism so the councillors really need to tell us why they have done this terrible thing!
This Island should be a National Park to protect it before it’s too late and all it’s countryside and wildlife is lost.
Building still takes place in National Parks but under a harder scrutiny.
Soon it will be like Hayling Island
Concrete jungle here we come, what a shame all these farms from long ago being flattened.
Just like Holliers farm flattened for more way too expensive homes for the Islands younger generation.
The Council & MP should be ashamed of themselves money speaks yet again!
Rightmove currently have 741 properties for sale on the Isle of Wight these properties on greenbelt are not needed
There is no greenbelt on the island. FACT
Thera is not a shortage housing on the Island as there would be hundreds of families living on the streets !! But there is a shortage of houses greedy developers have to SELL !! They wouldn’t build them unless they knew DFLs would by them
The island hasn’t grown in size , nor has our Hospital got any bigger …..
Concrete jungle full of rabbit hutches that’s what it is turning into …
Where are the Dentists ? Doctors Nurses etc etc to cope with the influx ???????
Already being told to go to the mainland for a Dentist!!!!!
As far as I am concerned these Councillor’s are the same ilk of previous day’s and as for abstaining well grow some ….
Not worth getting out of bed to vote anymore ….. same old ….
The islands space gets smaller year by year, it’s not like the mainland with plenty of space around, ours of course is restricted by the sea, let’s think about that next time a planning application goes in. It can’t go on our space is not finite.
Now most of slanderous comments have been removed perhaps can have more mature conversation about a subject that deserves more than the usual suspects ill informed bile. Problem is the powers that be, more government than council, don’t want to engage with people who more likely than not, at a public meeting would be more intent in shouting you lying to**er at stage, every 2 minutes. It doesn’t help, and it doesn’t harm to listen to other side, in order to understand it, and come up with a well informed plan to fight it either…xenophobia/comments about back handers do nothing to increase the chance of resolution, more of an own goal
I don’t see how we can have a ‘mature’ conversation over a matter that has been decided and now rubber stamped. Maybe talk of brown envelopes may have upset some observers but it does show the anger that this decision has generated and, what seems to be, the lack of logical thought that has gone into it. Stopping a key mover of the objectors from attending, no mention of how much WE will have to pay for infrastructure changes (because you know there will be many) is all fuel to the fire.
1) It’s government and Labour policy to build huge number of houses 2) No-one anywhere in country wants developments on their doorstep 3) Take to government that we are a special case and should be exempt from the policy; citing such things as asylum seekers and bloody immigrants Inc “immigrants” from mainland, (as if we were some sort of independent principality), as the reason for housing shortage isn’t going to change the policy, it’s more likely to make a minister dismiss well founded grievances, if that is used as the basis of an argument. And don’t think cost of infrastructure is borne by council, The water companies etc bear cost, perhaps bills across the country will rise minutely as result..
I feel so sad and disappointed for the family. I had such high hopes for the new IWC but it seems just more of the same. Shame on you. It would be interesting to know how many new build houses are empty
Doctors, Firemen, Policemen,
Dear Mr Captiva CEO please advise how you will help manning these services for the safety of everyone. Or have they already been consulted because all of these services are very near breaking point right now, I cannot believe consultations have taken place