Controversial 473-Home Ryde Development Recommended For Approval

A 473-home development has been recommended for conditional approval by Isle of Wight planners.

A council report published before next week’s critical planning committee meeting says Captiva Homes’s revised plans for West Acre Park in Ryde should be granted permission subject to conditions and legal agreement.

The contentious proposal, which includes commercial space, a doctor’s surgery and a café, has previously encountered stiff resistance, with Oakfield residents group Greenfields taking County Hall to court over its prior granting of consent in August 2023.

Ultimately, the case reached the Court of Appeal and after an April hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, judges ordered the quashing of the 2023 permission due to the council failing to publish a Section 106 planning obligation before its consent.

Section 106 planning obligations are mechanisms to make development proposals acceptable by mitigating their impacts, often involving financial contributions for affordable housing or infrastructure provision.

The new planning committee report says:

“The benefits associated with the delivery of housing, the creation of jobs, the provision of land for a new doctors’ surgery and the provision of public accessible areas of open space are considered by officers to continue to provide socio-economic benefits to the Island.

“The development would provide wider sustainability benefits to the community that outweigh the flood risk, and the development would be safe for its lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and, where possible, will reduce flood risk overall.”

It sets out a variety of planning obligations including a £1,507,033 financial contribution for highway works, two Public Rights of Way, 35 per cent affordable housing provision and a related affordable housing scheme and payments to the Solent Protection Area.

Three areas of the Solent have been marked as Special Protection Areas to safeguard tens of thousands of wintering birds.

A total of 33 conditions are included in the planning committee report.

Reasons given for them include complying with legislation and planning policy, highway safety, ecological and noise mitigation, the interests of the area’s character and neighbouring properties, reducing flood risk and ensuring the development has a satisfactory appearance.

Cllr Michael Lilley, the Liberal Democrat representative for Ryde Appley and Elmfield at County Hall, said:

“I have represented the residents of Ryde Appley and Elmfield for nine years and solidly stood by the Save Westridge Farm Campaign.

“My position and the position of my residents has not changed in that we oppose this application as previously.

"The material objections have not changed and in fact over the last few years due to climate change, have become stronger.

“This application takes away the last direct nature corridor in Ryde that links the shoreline to inner countryside, eradicates the last agricultural land in Ryde, threatens Ryde lowland in the north of the town to flooding and damaging and Ryde’s sewage system which is leaking and overcapacity.

“The West Acre Park application has also consistently failed to address the road infrastructure needed for such a planning application.

"I will speak against as I have done solidly over the years.” County Hall’s planning committee will meet at 4pm next Tuesday.