Planning inspectors have shared their initial response to the Island Planning Strategy (IPS), following a series of public hearings held earlier this year.
In a letter to the Isle of Wight Council, the inspectors said they did not support the council’s proposal to build 453 new homes each year, as outlined in the IPS.
Concerns over exceptional circumstances
Inspectors also agreed with council officers that there was not a strong enough case to lower annual housing targets based on ‘exceptional circumstances’.
This means the council cannot justify a reduced target by pointing to the Island’s specific situation, such as geography or infrastructure.
Two options offered
Instead, the inspectors presented two possible ways forward.
The first is to produce a short-term IPS, covering the next one to five years, based on a higher target of 703 new homes per year and identifying extra land to meet that need.
The second is to withdraw the plan from examination entirely and begin work on a new local plan based on the government’s current standard method, which would require 1,100 homes annually.
Council response under review
Ollie Boulter, the council’s strategic manager for planning and infrastructure delivery, said officers were still reviewing the inspectors’ letter.
He said,
“We understand the urgency and importance of addressing these housing figures.
“The council is committed to finding a solution that meets the needs of our community while adhering to the inspectors’ recommendations.
“We recognise the pressing need to resolve these housing issues. Our goal is to find a viable solution that balances the Island’s housing needs with regulatory requirements, ensuring sustainable development and meeting the growing demand and need for housing on the Isle of Wight.”
Next steps
The council will discuss the inspectors’ response and the two options at an extraordinary meeting of Full Council next month.
This decision will influence the Island’s future development and how it manages both housing demand and environmental priorities.
Wider plan broadly supported
The IPS was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate after a Regulation 19 consultation in August 2024, during which more than 700 public comments were reviewed.
Inspectors said most of the strategy’s policies were acceptable, or could be made acceptable with some minor changes.
They found no reason to remove any of the proposed housing or employment sites, and identified no legal or procedural failings in the council’s process.
However, they did not support the council’s plans to enforce net zero building requirements ahead of them becoming national policy.
Quigley: This equates to around an extra 33 homes a year
Richard Quigley, the Labour MP for Isle of Wight West, told OnTheWight,
“As ever, the devil is in the detail and not the headlines. Whilst the current plan has not been accepted by government inspectors, the increase in planning target of 250 to 703 annually, actually translates to an increase of 394 homes over the full term of the Island plan.
“This equates to around an extra 33 homes a year. This is thanks to the hard work the planners have already put into the existing plan and creating a planning pipeline for the homes desperately needed by Islanders.
“We are all fully aware of the lack of affordable and social homes on the Island; Approximately 2,400 households are on the current housing waiting list. We can’t continue to pretend we don’t need to build more homes.”
Robertson: Doubling annual housing target is completely impractical
Joe Robertson, Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East said,
“The Island Planning Strategy underwent a lengthy consultation process locally, and our council submitted a version that garnered the widest possible local support.
“To be now told by the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol that we need to nearly double our annual housing target to 703 contradicts local democracy and is completely impractical.
“My bigger concern is that the government intends to establish a Combined Mayor with Hampshire, which could strip our council of its powers regarding planning strategy and push for an even larger annual housing target of over 1,000 homes.
“This poses a significant threat to the natural beauty of our Island and the independence of our local decision-making powers. That is why I am saying no to a Hampshire-based Mayor without Island residents having a say first.”
Article edit
5.30pm 25th Apr 2025 – JR comment added
