The tenant farmers at Westridge Farm in Ryde have announced they will be vacating the farm by 31st October, paving the way for the development of 473 much-needed new homes in the East Wight.
For the last 6 years, the Holliday family have fought to save their home, farm and livelihood after plans were unveiled by Island developers Captiva Homes to build on the land the family leases. In November 2020, Island Echo reported that the Holliday family had turned down a £800,000 offer.
In a statement posted on social media last night (Monday), the Hollidays said:
“It has got to the point where we cannot go on any longer. We have no fight left. With a heavy heart, we have reached an agreement with our landlord to gain vacant possession of Westridge Farm.”
They have now reached an agreement with their landlord to hand over the farm by the end of October.
Meanwhile, a motion for tonight’s (Tuesday’s) planning committee meeting at County Hall, brought by Councillor Claire Critchison, calls for the recall of the West Acre Park planning application. Cllr Critchison is asking for councillors to ‘resolve through an abundance of caution’ the problems that have been raised by ‘concerned residents’.
What has happened so far at Westridge Farm?
- Planning permission was approved at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee in July.
- Permission has not yet been finalised, subject to conditions and legal agreements
- Holliday family felt it was ‘not fairly decided’
- ‘Save Westridge Farm’ campaign has gathered support and sought legal advice
In July, Chief executive of Captiva Homes, Iain Delaney, said as Islanders, the developers recognised the importance of more jobs, £100million in investment and the need for nearly 500 new homes. The first phase of the scheme is already complete and he said 80% had gone to Islanders.
Let’s hope they build more gps surgery’s and so on to go with them
Completely agree, the ratio of population to doctor surgery’s is way out of touch with the government recommendations already so why do ‘they’ persist in ignoring them ? Don’t ‘they’ care or are ‘they’ just dim.
Money talks!!!!
Another sad and irreversible loss of much needed green space and a living working farm.
A family forced out of their home and business, no amount of money can repair the damage and stress inflicted on this family against their will.
Another unnecessary housing estate.
A very sad day for the future of our environment.
All for profit.
biosphere status the council proclaim
climate emergency the council shout and declare
and then secretly, disgustingly and behind closed doors, they are approving things that will ruin the biosphere status, increase the emissions and CO2, thereby making the emergency worse
and for what – to line their own pockets through higher salaries, from an increase in council tax revenue, from more houses.
they need removing from office
This council is no more green than my backside is.
Greater the population numbers, the greater the housing developments.
I bet most people on here that post comments against development have children who themselves are adding to the housing growth.
People complain about the added emissions and co2 yet drive vehicles run on fossil fuels, yet all the while believe that installing energy saving bulbs in their home will make a difference.
The real problem is overpopulation. Less births, less houses. It’s that simple.
Facts
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10168405/cube/TOT_POP
isle of wight…
1800 about 20,000
1940 about 90,000
1980 about 110,000
today over 144,000
I cant help but not notice that the main roads have not increased in size or availability since the 1980’s, the number of hospitals is down to one, whereas there were several in the 1980’s and yet the population has exploded
There would be no need for all these new builds if the council did their job properly and brought back into use all the empty properties around the island and cut down on the number of second homes.
The bubble has burst the island will never be green as long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west
If we had a true democracy and a written constitution then we may have had a chance of the peoples voice being heard and this development stopped. But instead we have money ruling the roost.
Quite simply there is not a shortage of houses. The IS a shortage of available housing.
Too many empty properties, second home bought for holiday lets, second homes only occupied a few weeks of the year, empty premises above shops etc etc. A very small percentage of these new houses will end up being purchased by Islanders in housing need.
Oh hell. Can the antiquated sewage system cope with more waste. More cars on island roads. Our hospital, the one and only will have more patients. GP practices are creaking under the strain. Dentists, well they can forget seeing an NHS Dentist
Are these homes being built AFFORDABLE for islanders and will islanders be given PRIORITY?
I doubt it. The island is slowly being ruined.
What I want to know is why are they not fitting the houses with solar panels so the can put power back into the national grid which keeps crashing on the island.
Welcome to the Island of Captiva Homes
These are not “473 much needed new homes” they are not needed and the majority are not affordable or suitable for the type of housing needed by local people
they say 80% have gone to Islanders there talking about north island not this island
And the rest of uis will have to pay for improving the sewage system to cope with all these extra houses whilst the developers rush off with massive profits.
Absolutely insane. You cannot have more houses than the infrastructure to be able to support them, schools, GP surgeries, dentists etc and let’s not even start with the hospital. The island is dying and for lots of reasons. This is just another way for people to make money and sod the consequences.