Residents in Wootton, Whippingham and Arreton are celebrating the final end to plans for gravel extraction at Palmers Farm.
Their group, Wootton, Whippingham And Arreton Against Gravel Extraction (WAGE), has confirmed that the planning application has now been officially withdrawn.
Nature reserve plan gave early hope
Earlier this year, the land at Palmers Farm was sold to the James Tuttiett Charitable Trust, who announced their intention to turn the area into a nature reserve.
Although campaigners welcomed the announcement, WAGE remained cautious because the planning application for mineral extraction was still listed as active on the Isle of Wight Council’s planning portal.
Planning application now withdrawn
That uncertainty ended this week when the Isle of Wight Council’s planning department confirmed it had received a request to withdraw the application.
Within hours, the planning portal reflected this change, showing the status as “withdrawn” and removing the final obstacle to peace of mind for campaigners and residents.
WAGE thanks supporters
A spokesperson for WAGE said,
“It has been a long and costly fight but we are finally able to toast victory.”
They added,
“We would like to thank all the experts who assisted us, the support from both Wootton Bridge and Whippingham Parish Councils and of course the unwavering support of local residents who can now rest easy knowing the threat is gone.”
