The development of a former holiday camp on the Military Road, which has caused local outrage due to unauthorised changes, has got the thumbs up from council officers.
Isle of Wight Council planning officers recommended the minor amendments application for the former Atherfield Bay Holiday Camp be given conditional permission, subject to a legal agreement.
It will see work on the site in Brighstone, which is already started, but yet to be completed, approved if the planning committee follows officers advice.
Changes to the units, layout and clubhouse
The application seeks revisions to the previously approved scheme including changes to the units, layout and clubhouse.
But objectors say it is an inappropriate overdevelopment of the scheme, potentially a third larger than approved.
Brighstone and Shorwell parish councils have raised objections along with 15 others, saying the increase in the scale and height of the units, density development and clubhouse would cause serious harm to the landscape and protected coastline.
Officers: Minor changes
None of the internal or external consultees of the council, including Natural England, the Environment Agency or the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership, have objected.
In their deliberation, officers say the application only seeks relatively minor changes to the original application and the revised scheme would result in a better tourism provision than before, with higher quality units.
Officers: Acceptable visual impact
Officers do acknowledge there have been changes, however, and ‘cannot condone’ them, but due to the site being in a bowl in the landscape, consider the visual impact to be an acceptable level.
They also point out some of the amended holiday units would not be higher than approved, but lower, due to different construction.
Officers: Changes would not harm appearance of surrounding area
Overall, officers say they consider the changes would not harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area, among other items, and the application still complies with Island planning policies.
Mitigation for impact on Dark Skies
They do, however, suggest a condition imposed to mitigate the increased level of windows in the project, which may have a negative impact on the dark skies in the area, and a change in the legal agreement to provide £20,000 towards the surrounding public rights of way.
Developer: Done nothing wrong
The scheme’s developer, Alan Dugard of Interguide IOW, has stated previously they had done nothing wrong and the allegations of planning permission breaches were speculation.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
