“We’ve got more empty shops in Ryde than we had a year ago, that should concern us,” Ryde Town Council (RTC) heard this week.
‘Vibrant centre’ needed, says resident
The public body was on Tuesday (12th May 2026) asked how it communicates with Ryde’s business community and residents by a member of the public, Paul Wyatt, who suggested creating a panel to find out what firms are ‘up against’.
He told RTC the town must have a ‘vibrant centre’, attract new enterprise, and protect existing businesses.
This morning (Friday, 15th May 2026), chair of the Ryde Neighbourhood Board (RNB) Steven Holbrook said his independent partnership is keen to work with local businesses and pointed to the launching of a new initiative – ‘We Love Ryde’.
Mr Wyatt said,
“How does Ryde Town Council communicate with the business community and residents?
“We were told that the town hall was setting up a new Ryde business association…to my knowledge, nothing has happened…which is very sad.
“You have lots of committees… I would have thought by now we could set up a committee… to start making inroads into finding out what businesses are up against, what ideas they’ve got.
“It looks like the town board isn’t coming up with anything. We’ve got more empty shops in Ryde than we had a year ago, that should concern us.”
Outgoing Ryde mayor Diana Conyers responded,
“I take your point entirely. You’re right that part of the problem has been not knowing quite what the neighbourhood board is going to do.
“Before the board came into existence and there was a business association here, there was a representative from the association that was nominated to attend town council meetings, and he was our contact point, and we did engage with him for quite a while.
“It’s all in limbo, let’s hope we get something coming up.”
Update expected from Isle of Wight Council
Allan Bridges, business development manager at Ryde Town Council, said,
“I’ve got a bit of an update on that because I had exactly the same question of the neighbourhood board.
“This week I asked Pete Fellows (strategic manager for the regeneration team at the Isle of Wight Council) and they have a presentation going to their comms committee on Tuesday so at that point hopefully we should know more.”
£19.5 million investment vision unveiled
The RNB was set up as part of the government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods, renamed the Pride in Place Programme in September 2025.
Earlier this year, the board unveiled a vision to invest £19.5 million of Whitehall funding in Ryde.
County Hall acts as the accountable body for the RNB, meaning it is responsible for managing public funds and ensuring compliance with government requirements.
‘We Love Ryde’ initiative to connect businesses with board
Mr Holbrook said,
“Ryde Neighbourhood Board is keen to work with local businesses, and we’re launching a new initiative – We Love Ryde – to help us do that.
“Created in response to public feedback and following an open process, We Love Ryde will promote and represent local businesses and help them engage with the board.
“We want businesses at the heart of future decision-making so please get in touch with your ideas, via We Love Ryde when it is launched soon, or directly with the board.
“We Love Ryde is one of the initiatives made possible by our initial capacity funding, which has helped us put the right governance and delivery structures in place.
“With much of that groundwork complete, we’re now moving into the next phase, when significant funding will be available for local projects.”
Community grants of up to £100,000 available
Mr Holbrook said this includes a community grant scheme offering up to £100,000 this financial year to support local projects.
He added that details of the first round will be published shortly and the board welcomes applications from across the community, including local businesses.
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
