A public meeting will take place in Ventnor this Friday (16th May) to develop a community-led action plan to save the Ventnor Winter Gardens.
Privately owned
The iconic venue was sold by Isle of Wight council in mid-January 2013 for £1.
It is now privately owned by owner of The Hambrough Group, Kevin Sussmilch of Wight House Limited.
Save Ventnor Winter Gardens Action Group
The event has been organised by Steve Witheyman from the Save Ventnor Winter Gardens Action Group, who says the time for talk has passed.
Posting to social media, Steve said,
“After all the outcry and recent publicity still nothing has seemingly happened concerning this iconic building.
“Time to stop talking and take action. I am calling a initial community meeting at the Better Days cafe in Ventnor to discuss and agree a community action plan to save VWG.”
Local councillor to attend
Steve has invited local Isle of Wight councillor, Ed Blake, who will attend the meeting. He added,
“Everyone who wants to support this cause is most welcome to come along or just express support online and be kept in the loop about what’s discussed.”
Where and when
The meeting takes place on Friday 16th May, from 6pm to 8pm at the Better Days Cafe, High Street, Ventnor.
All are welcome to attend.
IW council open to talks
As previously reported in March 2025, Isle of Wight council’s Chief Executive, Wendy Perera, told OnTheWight she was open to brokering a conversation between the community and the building’s owner, Kevin Sussmilch.
Read the full article which includes a detailed background on the sale of the Winter Gardens and its subsequent use etc.
For more information about the history of the Ventnor Winter Gardens, see OnTheWight’s archive pages.
