Residents of a Newport road have said they feel like they are a ‘tick box exercise’ in the way of a homeless support hostel getting the planning permission it wants.
Two Saints is hoping to transform Castle Lodge B&B, on Castle Road, into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) as part of the Isle of Wight Council’s homeless help pathway.
The accommodation would help those ready to live more independently while they find somewhere more permanent to live.
Plans approved
Permission has been granted to change the use of the building but Isle of Wight councillors, unsatisfied by the lack of consultation between residents of the road and Two Saints, imposed a three-year trial to see how the HMO performed.
Now, Two Saints is asking to remove the trial period condition due to a funding issue which could see the HMO not go ahead at all.
Need funding or will walk away
Speaking at a meeting with Castle Road residents, Two Saints’ regional director James McDermott said if it did not get the money from Homes England, it would walk away from the property.
In planning documents, Homes England confirmed it cannot give the grant money with the current conditions, as the properties it supports must have a life expectancy of 30 years.
Condition brings ‘protective safety net’
After the meetings, however, some Castle Road residents said they had more concerns than before, with few of their questions answered.
They said they had accepted the three-year condition and come to terms with it, but the removal of the time frame was like taking away their protective safety net.
A ‘tick-box exercise’
According to residents, no consultation happened before Two Saints submitted the variation application, but the two public meetings since felt like a tick-box exercise and they had not been considered through the process.
In objections submitted online to the council’s planning portal, residents said the communication with Two Saints has ‘broken down’.
Two Saints, however, has thanked residents for their engagement and communication in recent weeks.
A third meeting arranged
Mr McDermott said,
“We acknowledge this application may cause concern to some and, to speak directly with as many neighbours as possible, we’ve arranged an additional meeting on the evening of 13th September, for those who were unable to attend our earlier daytime meetings.
“Letters advising how to book a place have been circulated.
“Working in partnership, we intend to bring use of both government grant and our own resources to invest in providing housing on the Isle of Wight and to support the local housing authority to deliver their homeless strategy.
“Our overall aim is to provide housing for the benefit of Isle of Wight residents who find themselves without a home.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
