Planning Committee members meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss two controversial planning applications. Officers recommend conditional permission on ‘reserved matters’ for the on-shore element of the Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre at Flowersbrook.
However, first on the agenda is the development at Pennyfeathers, Ryde. Officers are also recommending conditional permission for this development of over 900 homes, a primary school, a community centre and recreational areas.
Planning services already over-stretched
Newport East Labour councillor, Geoff Lumley has today written to members of the planning committee with words of caution.
He said,
As members of the Planning Committee, and on the eve of your deliberations about the proposed Pennyfeathers development, I just want to remind you of my written question to Cllr Fuller at Full Council last week.
Pan Meadows was the last major housing development approval on the Island and indeed two of you – Reg and Richard – were party to its approval. Whilst I am not against these housing developments per se as they provide much needed affordable housing, I believe there are real lessons to be learnt from both my experience and, I am sure, your Chairman’s own experience at Hawthorn Meadows, Whippingham – the major one before mine !
With our Planning Service being slashed to the bone I worry enormously that another huge housing development will be beyond their capacity to manage in accordance with any positive decision you make tomorrow, irrespective of the conditions you may impose.
Interest lost in ‘flagship development’
The question Cllr Lumley referred to above comes from last week’s full council meeting. He was unable to ask and have it answered at the meeting due to time constraints, but shares it with OnTheWight readers below.
The Pan Meadows housing development was approved in late 2009 with myriad conditions and works started the following spring. Prior to the approval there had been a great deal of Council publicity that it would be a ‘flagship development’, with real commitment to its success from the three partners – the Council, Spectrum HA and Barratts (David Wilson Homes) – the approved partner developer. Commitments were made to existing local residents regarding full community involvement and integration between the new development and existing Pan.
Sadly the reality has been far from ‘flagship’. Nearly four years after the first residents moved in both the developer and the Council seem to have lost interest. Yes, the development has provided over 250 much needed ’affordable’homes, but barely 100 homes have been sold on the open market (despite Barratts re-branding it as Bluebell Meadows [!]).
Those living in the first phase still seem to live on a building site as their ridiculously narrow residential streets continue to be used for works traffic or as a diversion for phase 2 traffic, with no sign of their roads being adopted by the Council. And a planned play park for children fenced off; the subject of unending wrangling between the developer and Pan Manco over safety concerns.
Residents of Phase 2 of the development seem to have been abandoned. No direct road from Staplers Road; no indication of that road from Staplers Road (when it is re-opened) being extended through to St Georges Way even though it is a planning condition after 350 occupancies, reached some time ago; footpaths between the development and existing Pan still not provided, despite planning conditions, forcing parents without cars and young children into a hilly and tiring walk to get into Newport or just to the local Pan shops/local school.
I could go on, almost ad infinitum. The barely managed Country Park, the problems with the Pan Manco community interest company, the failed gardens throughout phase one where lawns wash away as soon as they are planted/turfed…………….
Can the Executive Member comment and give a commitment to me and to the residents of Pan Meadows that the Council will re-engage positively with the commitments it made in the lead up to planning approval in 2009 and start to address the concerns I have expressed to me on a regular basis and which I relay to officers, to little avail in recent times?
OnTheWight hopes to report live from the meeting which starts at 4pm on Tuesday 8th September.
Image: © Farrell Design Studio
