A parish council has joined the fight against the Isle of Wight Council over a controversial 470-house development in Ryde.
As the deadline looms for the Save Westridge Farm judicial review, Nettlestone and Seaview Parish Council has donated £750.
Grave concerns about planning process
Councillors agreed earlier this week to financially support the legal challenge after community members expressed grave concerns about the process that led to planning permission being granted for West Acre Park.
The parish council hopes the donation will go a long way to enabling the campaign to get a positive resolution for all Island residents.
Fears it would merge Ryde with Nettlestone and Seaview
Cllrs Trish Redpath and David Barry said they, and the other councillors, are concerned the development would merge Ryde with Nettlestone and Seaview.
They also agree with residents of Ryde that the decision-making process at the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee, where the development was approved, was ‘unsound’.
‘Infrastructure set to be swamped’
They say due to the huge number of development applications in Ryde, its infrastructure is set to be swamped so all planning decisions must be taken with the utmost care.
Instead, they say the Westridge Farm decision was ‘thoughtless and inappropriate’ and it is imperative the planning authority recognise it.
‘More than 60 errors in planning process’
The Save Westridge Farm Campaign says it has outlined more than 60 errors in the planning process but the Isle of Wight Council says it has a valid argument for all the points raised.
After the planning permission was once again confirmed by the Isle of Wight Council in March, it can officially be granted which then starts a six-week time frame to take the case to a judicial review.
£17,300 raised so far
The fundraising campaign has nearly reached its target, with £17,440 from 408 pledges, and says it has a solid argument against the council, which would be a landmark case for all planning applications on green fields or farmland on the Island.
Isle of Wight Cllr Peter Spink has also donated £100 to the crowdfunding campaign.
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
