A “couple of whingers” have questioned why Sandown Town Council has purchased a strip of land along the seafront, a meeting heard on Monday (23rd March 2026).
The £100,000 purchase of a ‘strategically important’ strip of land at the front of a derelict hotel has been “vociferously” opposed, Councillor Joan Solomon said.
Hostility has been voiced over the town council’s decision to buy the ‘ransom strip’ next to the former Ocean Hotel at auction, amid a rise in the council tax precept this year, she said.
Vociferously opposed
Councillor Solomon said,
“I’ve had a couple of whingers; you know people who sort of stand on the sidelines. They have noticed that we’ve spent this money on the strip of land outside the Ocean Hotel and they’re quite vociferously against that.
“I said…we can do something for the Esplanade, something for the town – the only comment was you could’ve used that money to stop putting up council tax this year.”
Sandown mayor Alex Lightfoot previously said the land would have a ‘decisive influence’ on any future solution to the derelict hotel and is a valuable space for seafront amenities and services.
Decisive influence
Mayor Lightfoot said at the meeting,
“We had the town meeting where we asked members of the public for their ideas on what we might do with that land and we will be launching an online survey to further bolster that.”
If we don’t put it up, what are you cutting?
He went on to say,
“I’ll be quite blunt about it, anyone who says we’d rather have not had the tax go up this year because I’ve had an email today from someone saying very much the same thing.
“I don’t think anyone here ran on the basis they were going to cut taxes…and we were all elected to try and effect change. I think most people have started to get that if we don’t put it up by inflation, what are you cutting?
“People want change in Sandown, that doesn’t come without us doing something different and that does need funding.”
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
