The Isle of Wight Council and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have reached agreement on a deal which will allow the council to improve the roads, open spaces and footways in current MOJ ownership on the former prison estate.
As part of the agreement, the council will receive a one-off fee from government to upgrade and maintain the area to a good standard for the foreseeable future.
Ownership of land
The council will take over the ownership of the land from the MOJ.
It is expected that the works might take up to two years to complete and the council will communicate with residents as plans for the works are confirmed.
As the deal has just been agreed, residents are asked to be patient until the council has had the time to work through these plans.
Ashman: Council better placed to oversee the repairs and future maintenance
Chris Ashman, the council’s director of regeneration, said it was good news for the area.
He said,
“The highways and footways are in a poor state of repair and local residents have been concerned to see improvements made for some considerable time.
“The council, as highways authority, is better placed to oversee the repairs and future maintenance and as part of the transaction the Ministry of Justice will make a financial contribution towards the costs.
“As part of our regeneration programme, we will work closely with local residents to prioritise the works to be undertaken and achieve the best possible outcome using the funds available to improve community cohesion and quality of life.”
Residents can contact the council via a dedicated email address: [email protected]
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
Image: Jeremy Segrott under CC BY 2.0
