A new lease of life could be given to a former convent in Shanklin as plans to convert to flats is submitted to the Isle of Wight council.
St Anthony’s Convent, on Beatrice Avenue, Shanklin, was founded in 1898, run by the Sisters of Mercy who established a school in the town and went on to teach in others across the Island.
The last two remaining nuns, Sister Bernadette and Sister Martin had lived at the convent for 56 years, but a decline in numbers saw the pair move to another convent in Worthing, in March 2012.
Work started before approval sought
Now, Open Sea Developments is proposing to convert and adapt the existing convent to provide eight flats — six two-beds and two-three beds — some of which will overlook Sandown Bay.
Planning documents say work started on the convent in December last year, but approval is only now being sought.
A walkway connecting the convent and the Chapel Lodge apartments would be demolished to provide space for a single-storey extension and garages.
Support from residents
Residents of the area have so far shown support for the redevelopment, with one saying the ‘restoration of the property for use and occupation is a benefit to the location and the local community’.
Another said approval of the scheme would ‘be the best possible outcome for this lovely old building and its immediate vicinity.’
While Shanklin Town Council has considered the plans, it had no comments to make.
Island Roads
Island Roads has not given its approval to the development nor its refusal — all dependent on whether the developers can fully reconstruct the unadopted highway network link to Delphi Road from Beatrice Avenue to the current standard and open for all residents to use.
Highways recommend refusal
The highways authority has questioned the current usability of the link into Delphi Road due to the ‘serious poor state of repair and level discrepancies’.
They say that should the developer not agree to reconstruct the road, while increasing the movement between the access from Beatrice Avenue onto Arthurs Hill, they would recommend the development be refused as there is a visibility shortfall to motorists at the Arthurs Hill junction.
You can view the plans (21/00671/FUL) at the Isle of Wight Council’s planning register.
Comments will be accepted until 24th May.
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
Image: Lex Photography under CC BY 2.0
