If you watched our Live Coverage of the Isle of Wight council Executive meeting on Tuesday night (or caught up with it subsequently) you’ll have seen that members voted in favour of deferring the decision on Compulsory Purchase Orders for Dover Road properties as part of the East Cowes Regeneration Scheme.
Misleading information
The big revelation of the evening was delivered by Cllr Hillard, ward councillor for the area.
During her speech, in which she thanked her fellow Executive members for listening to the residents of East Cowes and understanding the concerns put forward, Cllr Hillard revealed that of the seven properties on Dover Road, three are already owned by Red Funnel.
Strangely, the papers stated,
Agreement has been reached on three of seven properties required, and discussions with the remaining four are continuing in the hope that a negotiated settlement can be achieved.
Cllr Hillard revealed that two of the properties were purchased by Red Funnel several years before the project began.
The other property, the only one which has been successfully negotiated since it was known that Dover Road was at risk of demolition, was bought and sold in months, as an investment, claimed Cllr Hillard.
No other negotiations complete
Of the four remaining properties, three are business premises, where people work from home and who all risk losing their livelihoods should this plan go ahead.
Residents feel, she said, the publicising of this CPO recommendation undermines the need for any meaningful negotiations between Red Funnel and the residents and businesses in Dover Road.
Cllr Hillard said she felt it was inappropriate for the council to consider a CPO until the planning application has been determined.
SEEDA vision
The East Cowes ward councillor went on to point out that throughout documents relating to this issue, there were frequent references in the 2007 SEEDA Masterplan for East Cowes, which were being used as a justification for the proposed plans to demolish the properties on Dover Road.
She added the current Solent Gateways Project bears little resemblance to the SEEDA vision – in which the Dover Road properties remained intact.
A need for larger marshalling area?
According to Cllr Hillard, with the exception of 2010, visitor numbers to the Island since 2007 have declined, so people might conclude it was not necessary for Red Funnel to need a larger marshalling yard, she said.
She finished by asking whether the CPO of Dover Road properties was really in the public interest.
Decision deferred
Following further discussions from members outside the Executive, a recommendation was approved by four Executive members to defer the decision until after the current planning application had been determined.
Public protest
Prior to the meeting 40-50 residents and businesses from East Cowes gathered outside County Hall to express their opposition to the officer’s recommendations.
Many were also present in the public gallery during the meeting and raised their concerns during public question time.
