We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below. This from the Ryde Against Boarding House group (RABH). Ed
The Ryde Against Boarding House (RABH) group were very disappointed to learn that IWC planning officer has recommended ‘conditional permission’ for the Ryde School Boarding House proposal.
They feel that the introduction of a 70 bedroom ‘hotel’ in the middle of one of Ryde’s Conservation Areas is a highly retrograde step.
All Conservation Areas are protected by law (Town and Country Planning Act 1990) and any development must enhance their character.
Where is the ‘positive effect’?
It is very hard to see how the introduction of this building which is of an “institutional, functional and modern appearance” and houses 70 inhabitants, can have a “positive effect” on the this area with its many Grade II listed properties.
Indeed the Ryde Conservation Area Character Appraisal adopted 2011 states this is a ‘quiet and pleasant’ area. The building will also be highly visible as you approach Ryde by sea and also from many locations on the public highways around Ryde School.
Biggest development for 100+ years
This does not tally with the IWCC report that states the “school site is obscured by the existing tree cover” and “the impact of this building visually from the public realm would be negligible”.
This would arguably be the biggest development in this part of Ryde for 100+ years and would undoubtedly dominate and diminish the Conservation Area.
It should not go ahead.
