Members of the planning committee will be meeting tomorrow (Tuesday from 4pm) to consider the planning application a large-scale housing development on the land known as Pennyfeathers , south of Smallbrook Lane in Ryde.
The application is for 904 residential units, a school; community centre; commercial buildings; relocation of Westridge Garage; community energy centre; sports building and changing rooms; structural landscaping; play areas and associated highway improvements.
Concerns raised
The paperwork reveals a large number of objections to the development by official organisations as well as council officers and members of the public.
Southern Water say there is inadequate capacity in the local network to provide foul sewage disposal to service the proposed development.
Environmental Health Officers have made several comments about contamination of land, as well air quality, noise and vibration.
The council’s Ecology Officer and Tree Officer have both raised objections with the application in its current form.
Other agencies object
Hampshire Constabulary raise several policing concerns, Sport England say they cannot support the application and Hampshire and IW Wildlife Trust have called for the proposals to be re-designed to include a larger buffer between the development and the semi-natural habitat surrounding the site.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Island Watch and The Isle of Wight Steam Railway all raise serious concerns and reservations about various aspects of the scheme.
A whopping 387 letters of objection have been received from members of the public, as well as a petition with 70 signatures.
Insufficient information
The case officer dealing with the application makes her recommendation of refusal, giving the following reasons,
Having due regard and giving appropriate weight to all material considerations referred to in this report the application is considered to include insufficient information to justify the potential unacceptable impacts on the visual character of the area, the local highway network and would result in unacceptable recreational pressure on the SPA. As a result the application site is not considered to be ‘appropriate’ to accommodate the level of development proposed.
Update 27th November:
Members voted unanimously to reject the application.
