The Freshwater Village Association have issued their position on the process and content of the application to replace West Wight Middle School with housing.
As On The Wight reported last week, Cllr George Brown approved a delegated decision to treat Spectrum Housing as a Special Purchaser in connection with the sale of former West Wight Middle School.
Outline of objection
The Freshwater Association is objecting on three grounds:-
- There has been no public consultation on the future of the school.
- Incorrect procedure has been followed with the access across the common land in front of the school.
- Camp Lodge Field should not be included in the development.
There has been no public consultation on the future of the school
West Wight Middle School was built following the resolution of a Parish Meeting held on November 5th 1904 in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Education Act of 1902. Its purpose was to provide a new Public Elementary School for 200 children. The new school was funded by the local rate-payers of Freshwater.
Last June a consultation meeting was promised for the people of Freshwater with Janet Newton the officer responsible for the school sites. However this consultation meeting never took place.
The correct procedure to dispose of an asset created by the Parish of Freshwater is to have a consultation with the present rate payers on any possible educational uses for large public property. Only then should it be disposed of on the open market.
We therefore call on Freshwater Parish Council to organise a public meeting to have an open discussion on all IW Council development plans for the centre of Freshwater, including the two schools, Sports Centre, Ainsworth Court and playing fields.
Incorrect procedure has been followed with the access across the common land in front of the school
The land between the school and Queens Road is Common Land and registered under the Commons Registration Act of 1965. The only consent that has been given by the Department of the Environment for vehicles to pass over this land is for a bus turning circle granted in 1977 under Section 194 of the Law of Property Act, 1925.
Any new application for vehicle access should be made to the Department of the Environment and advertised according to the manner laid out in Section 31 of the Commons Act of 1876.
Camp Lodge Field should not be included in the development
Ref. No. LDF487 does not show Camp Lodge Field as part of the development site and predicts only 31 units. It seems that the field has been added on. The Field is a former playing field, play area and sports pitch and therefore forms part of the ‘Green Infrastucture’ which should not be developed according to the Island Plan Core Strategy adopted in 2012 (Page 172 Green Infrastructure 7.211 to Page 173 7.212 and Table 7.3).
Access to the proposed properties to be built in this field would allow vehicular access across a public footpath. We believe that however the school buildings are used or redeveloped in future this field with the tallest trees in the parish should be retained as an open space, a community asset.
Image: © Google Streetview
