Back in March, readers will remember that OnTheWight sought the views of Ventnor’s ward county councillors on the decision made by an officer at Isle of Wight council (IWC) to reject Ventnor Town council’s nomination for the Coastal Centre as a Community Asset.
At the time, councillor for Ventnor West, Susan Scoccia told OnTheWight that she would need to speak to officers before giving her opinion.
A couple of weeks have passed and Cllr Susan Scoccia has now told OnTheWight, “I did indeed have a meeting with officers to discuss the decision made in respect of the Coastal Centre and its nomination as a Community Asset. I obviously wanted to satisfy myself that this had been done correctly in accordance with the policy, which requires that a building was being used, and is proposed to be used, for social and community wellbeing.”
Scoccia: “Judged as not being a community use”
Cllr Scoccia went on to say, “It was judged that the use of the building in recent times had been as council offices, and therefore not a community use.
“The proposals of Ventnor Town Council to use it as an economic hub with business start-up units that would be rented out on a commercial basis was also judged as not being a community use. These are the reasons why the application was unsuccessful.
Scoccia: “Disappointing outcome”
Cllr Scoccia finished by saying, “As much as this is a disappointing outcome for the Town Council, this does not alter my view that we must look at all of Ventnor’s assets holistically, and not in isolation in respect of just one building, to ensure that we have services in the most appropriate buildings for the town’s future.”
More to follow later on the debate around the Coastal Centre from the last full council meeting.
