PLANS for housing in Wootton are being called before the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee for deliberation tomorrow (Tuesday).
Wiltshire company, Maritime and Provincial Ltd, is seeking outline permission for 29 houses — with a potential ten affordable properties — on a greenfield site on Station Road.
Access and road layout
The application, however, is only asking whether the site’s proposed access, internal road layout and parking would be acceptable.
Other planning considerations, including the site’s appearance, scale, layout and landscape, would be dealt with through a reserved matters application at a later date.
Conditional permission recommended
Before it heads to the planning committee tomorrow, council officers have suggested the development be given conditional permission.
In a report going before the committee, officers say it has been referred for the final decision due to the application raising marginal and difficult policy issues.
Some of the application’s main considerations include the principle of development, impact on the surrounding area’s character and highway issues.
Conditions from Island Roads
While Island Roads has raised no objection, it did suggest a number of conditions including the introduction of double yellow lines along a stretch of Station Road to increase visibility, a construction management plan and requested more details.
Local objections
Wootton Bridge Parish Council and 71 residents, however, objected to the plans, saying it is outside the development area.
They raised concerns over flooding and questioned the lack of ecology report as the area is known for bats, glow worms and red squirrels.
24 conditions and financial contributions
After responding to comments, officers recommend the development is approved with 24 conditions and financial contributions made to the rights of way in the area and the Bird Aware Solent mitigation strategy as well as ensuring 35 per cent of housing on-site would be affordable.
In their report, they say there is a clear need for proposed housing as only 32 new dwellings were built in the area in the last ten years. According to the council’s housing needs assessment, undertaken in 2018, 77 new homes should be built a year.
They say the development would not dominate the public realm and be in context with the surrounding area, ‘effectively squaring off this part of Wootton’.
Watch and read
You can watch the meeting tomorrow from 4pm, where the final decision will be made, and read the officer’s report.
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
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