The bid to approve a new planning strategy for the Isle of Wight continues its slow march forward — although one cabinet member has railed against others to oppose it.
At the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet meeting last week, cabinet approved sending the draft Island Planning Strategy (IPS) to the full council with the recommendations from its scrutiny body.
Four years of work
They included strengthening the protection of greenfield sites, by developing them only when absolutely necessary, and restricting the purchase of new builds as second homes.
Planning cabinet member, Cllr Paul Fuller, said the move starts to bring to conclusion a lot of work undertaken by the council in the last four years.
Jarman: Population growth should equate to 70 new homes a year
However, Cllr Chris Jarman, cabinet member for strategic finance, said national planning policies call for the use of data and estimates used in the draft IPS are ‘wholly mistaken’.
Quoting population growth figures recently released from the 2021 census, Cllr Jarman said there was no need to build the targeted 479 homes a year — more like 70.
He said revising the figures could mean a ‘radically different prospect for Islanders’, one that would not enable major developments.
Jarman: No shortage of homes
Cllr Jarman argued there was no shortage of homes to buy (with 1,200 available on the Island at the moment) and building houses would not fix the Island’s housing crisis.
He said moving forward with the draft IPS was ‘illogical’ and voted against sending the plan to full council.
Fuller: Reducing Government targets
Cllr Fuller said through the strategy, the council was trying to fight the government-imposed housing figure which means the Island would have to build 730 homes a year.
Through the evidence-based approach, Cllr Fuller said, officers and councillors have suppressed it as low as they think they can at 479.
Love: We need a range of properties in all areas
Cllr Karl Love, cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Public Health said there was a growing crisis in the Isle of Wight workforce,
“We cannot sustain ourselves with the current workforce, we’re already bringing people here from all over world to support our population, we need to significantly recruit and need a range of properties in all areas.”
He added that there roughly 2,500 people who need affordable accommodation right now and that if the council started building tomorrow, it would be three to five years before the properties were ready.
Peacey Wilcox: I hear the stories every day from people pleading for help
Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Lora Peacey Wilcox, told members there were 165 households in temporary accommodation, with 56 people in single person accommodation.
She added that there were at least eight children staying in B&Bs, and were only allowed in the premises at certain times of day leading to them having the walk the streets which was having a massive detrimental effect on them.
The council leader added that as an example of the needs of Islanders, there were five people in Band 1, ie. in immediate need of housing and more than 300 in Band 2.
“I hear stories every day from people pleading for help to find them accommodation.”
A further six-week consultation
When the draft IPS goes forward to the Planning Inspectorate there will be a further six-week consultation period, he said, where evidence and figures can be put forward for consideration.
Meeting delayed
The draft IPS was set to be discussed at the next meeting of full council, on 21st September, but due to the national mourning period following the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the meeting has been cancelled, and will be rescheduled for a date to be set.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
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