Today (20 April 2022) was to have a meeting of the full Isle of Wight Council to decide whether to take forward the Island planning strategy to its next stage.

However, last week it was announced that the process is being paused.

The strategy sets out policies, housing numbers, and land allocations that the council thinks is right for the Island over the next 15 years.

For Parkhurst & Hunnyhill ward, last year’s original draft proposed 1,440 houses on four sites in the north of the ward: Ministry of Justice land around the prison (usually referred to just as Camp Hill), at Acorn Hill on Horsebridge Hill, at Noke Common, and on the former Library HQ site off Parkhurst Road. Maps for the area showed development that could go right up to the edge of Parkhurst Forest.

Like many residents, I believe the numbers proposed are too high with massive impacts for the local environment and on local services and infrastructure. Development on all the sites would see big increases in traffic on Horsebridge Hill, Parkhurst Road and Forest Road in particular.

The revised strategy took these objections on board and is an improvement. The new allocation for housing is down to 1,025 overall, though with an increase on the Acorn Farm site from 115 to 150 houses. The accompanying map booklet shows that development would also not be allowed right up to the forest edge, as previously proposed.

Although these are improvements, the issues remain the same: the impact on the environment would be massive, with great pressure on local services and infrastructure.

I still believe that the numbers should be lower and with more of the green field land removed from the proposals, particularly near Parkhurst Forest with its ancient woodlands and sites of special scientific interest.

This is why I believe pausing the process is sensible. It gives time for council officers to work with the council’s Cabinet to come up with a better proposal. I am not opposed in principle to development. The Island has a housing crisis and needs affordable homes for people to buy and rent. But to put so much of the burden in this small area of Parkhurst & Hunnyhill is asking too much.