A planning application has been submitted by Captiva Homes for 203 houses and flats on the Acorn Farm site at Horsebridge Hill.

The plans and their many supporting documents are on the council’s planning register webpages.

The council’s planning public consultation is under way with a deadline of 3 November 2023. Please note that this is a change on the original date of 20 October 2023. There is also helpful advice on making effective comments.

The developer, Captiva Homes, has also set up a web page about their application.

This describes the plans as providing:

• 72 one-bed Key Worker Accommodation flats
• 131 ‘open market homes’ which will be converted to affordable in partnership with Sovereign Housing as a mix of socially rented and discounted market sale homes

The plans also include a play area, and pedestrian and cycling links connecting the site and Horsebridge Hill to Dodnor Lane.

If this application is approved then this could help many Islanders get a home that they can afford to rent or buy.

I am particularly concerned, however, at Island Roads’ comments on the lack of information regarding the impact on local road junctions and on the highways network generally.

It’s vital that there is this information as Horsebridge Hill is on the main route between Newport and Cowes with a high volume of traffic for most of the day.

The following is adapted from an Isle of Wight Council press release…

Changes to parking restrictions covering multiple locations across the Newport and Carisbrooke area are included in a new consultation published by Isle of Wight Council.

Among the proposals are:

• Grange Drive and Vicarage Walk – the council proposes extending the existing parking restriction and cover the junction to improve access, visibility and safety when exiting and entering this narrow lane.
• Hunnyhill – near junction with Worsley Road, and with Hookes Way – the council is proposing that the old “Limited waiting” parking restriction in this road is not sufficient anymore, and that both junctions are overparked. A new “No waiting at any time” restriction is proposed to cover the junctions and improve visibility, access and safety.
• Hogan Road – There was an old “No waiting at any time” parking restriction in this location, which was removed while ago and the lines are no longer on site; nothing is being changed other than to remove the old legal order.
• Worsley Road – the double yellow line will be extended as the existing fire hydrant needs protection as any vehicle parked over it will be blocking its use by the Fire Services.

The consultation finishes on Friday, 3 November.

Important: Comments of support and objections can only be legally considered if a full address is given whether the response comes in by letter, email or by online survey. Link to consultation web page can be found here: : Newport and Carisbrooke TRO Consultation (iow.gov.uk) This includes the proposals listed above plus many others throughout Newport and Carisbrooke.

Welcome news has come in to say that, after two and half years without a post office, one will be opened in Newport at the Central Convenience Store from 1pm on Wednesday, 29 November 2023.

The following is taken from an Isle of Wight press release…

Since the Post Office inside the former Co-operative on South Street/Pyle Street closed in February 2021, Shaping Newport — a collaboration between Newport Business Association, Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council and the Isle of Wight Council — has worked to bring services back.

The two-position Post Office Local Plus, at 129 High Street, will offer customers a range of Post Office services, from posting letters and parcels to collecting and returning online shopping items.

Customers can also take advantage of various banking services including cash withdrawals and balance enquiries for all the main UK banks.

The opening hours will be Monday to Sunday, 6am until 10.30pm.

[Adapted from an Isle of Wight Council press release.]

Isle of Wight Council is consulting on its Local Council Tax Support Scheme, which helps low income working households with council tax. Nearly 10,000 Islanders receive council tax support up to 70% maximum assistance, depending on the household and financial circumstances,

The proposal for the scheme commencing in April 2024 is to keep the scheme as it is. However the council is also seeking views on varying the maximum level of support by 5% either way.

Both alternatives have a significant impact on the council budget. Higher levels of relief would require savings and cuts elsewhere. Lower levels of relief could lead to an increase in council tax arrears and lower levels of Council Tax collection. The implications of changes to the scheme will not affect pension-age recipients of local council tax support, but could affect both working-age recipients as well as users of council services more widely and therefore will be open to all residents to participate.

The results of the consultation form part of the decision-making process for setting council tax and the overall council budget next year. The consultation is available on the Local council tax support scheme consultation page and the closing date is October 2.  Copies can be obtained from council offices and libraries from this week. A large print version is available.

Liberal Democrat, Sarah Redrup, has been elected as the new councillor for Wootton Bridge. 

Sarah won the by-election by more than 180 votes and secured nearly half of the vote (47.8 per cent).

The result of the by-election is:

• Sarah Redrup (Liberal Democrat) — 475
• Conservative — 291
• Vectis Party — 178
• Green Party — 48

The result means that the Liberal Democrats now have four councillors on Isle of Wight Council. As no party has a majority on the council, it means that the Lib Dem group will have a stronger position of influence on council policy and spending.

Last month I reported that I had written to the new Secretary of State for Justice asking about Ministry of Justice plans for Camp Hill and other land it owns locally.

The key paragraphs from the reply are:

We have previously spoken with senior officers from the Isle of Wight Council about the future use of HMP Camp Hill and the possibility of a sale to the Council. However, because of the increasing demand for prison places we are continuing to review options for the reuse of decommissioned prisons, including Camp Hill.

We are also considering a request from Hampshire County Council to make a site in Medina Way/Parkhurst Road available for the development of a “blue light hub”. This is to enable the relocation of the existing fire and police facilities in Newport to provide an improved service and to enable the release of the existing town centre sites for schemes to help meet the Council’s regeneration aims.

Both paragraphs could have significant implications for the area.

They also have implications for Isle of Wight Council policy. If the MoJ land isn’t available that would put a big home in the council’s housing targets in its currently paused draft planning strategy. Relocation of police and fire facilities would also affect council regeneration policy. It’s not clear if the police move would mean there would be no town centre station.

I am arranging a meeting with cabinet councillors and senior council officers to discuss the implications of this response and how we can get more clarity from the government.

As chair of Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council, I was delighted that we agreed to host John Constable’s painting “The Cornfield” in our new offices at 64 High Street.

The event took place as part of the National Gallery’s Constable Visits programme.

As well as being a beautiful painting, it is a connection to our national history. The scene from Suffolk would have been one familiar to many on the Isle of Wight at the same time.

Awareness and understanding of our history is something that the community council is keen to promote. We are developing a heritage area in our offices to help with that. At present it has an Enfield 8000 electric car designed on the Isle of Wight in the early 1970s.

The problems of water leaking in Worsley Road have been going on for many months. Over the winter it was like an ice rink.

I’ve been pressing Southern Water to continue looking for the source. They carried out two digs recently, finding leaks and repairing them.

Unfortunately there still seems to be some water emerging out of the road near the cut-through to Albany Road. I have asked Southern Water for an update on whether they think there still is a leak or if this is groundwater.

A resident raised concerns with me about the potholes in Partridge Road and Hewitt Crescent.

Although a full upgrade should happen this year, I’ve asked that the potholes be filled in given how many there are and how deep they are getting.

The railings at the bottom of the steps were damaged badly recently and have been replaced with temporary barriers.

Island Roads have assured me that replacement barriers will be installed as soon as possible.