Thanks to Retired Hack for this report on the proposed Conservation Area status to parts of Niton village. In his own words. Ed
Isle of Wight planning officers faced tough questioning in Niton on Thursday night after being forced to go to the village to try to rescue plans for an unpopular Conservation Area.
The normal consultation exercise was abruptly stopped half-way through after adverse comments began piling up. The Council blamed “misleading information and confusion” circulating in Niton, and decided on a four-hour one-to-one drop-in session at the primary school.
Heated session with 50 residents
Protesters, who say their development rights for even very minor work will be withdrawn if the CA goes ahead, decided a better idea would be for everyone to turn up at 6pm – and about 50 of them did so. In the sometimes heated session which followed, officers struggled to make themselves heard as residents demanded to know whether their opposition would make any difference.
Of particular concern are CA rules which require owners of certain properties to seek planning permission for minor work where consent would not normally be needed. Examples include porches and other small extensions, replacing windows or doors, and working on trees, fences and garden walls. The restriction is known as the withdrawal of permitted development rights.
The decision on the CA will eventually be made by Cabinet member George Brown, and local district councillor Dave Stewart promised to convey local views – which so far have been emphatically against – to him.
Just a box ticking exercise?
Following the high number of objections, the Council has decided to split the consultation into two parts. The first part, on the appraisal document and the boundary map, closes on March 15. If the Council decides to go ahead, further consultation will follow if it also decides that some properties will have their permitted development rights withdrawn.
Resident Janice Young said: “I was amazed at the turn-out, and I suspect the Council were too. It shows the depth of feeling in the village. We don’t want County Hall to just impose their wishes on us for the sake of some box-ticking exercise.”
Image: Simon Haytack under CC BY 2.0
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