Council Refuses Three-Bedroom House Within Grounds Of Former Hotel

A proposal for a new three-bedroom clifftop house with rooftop solar panels within the grounds of a former Isle of Wight hotel has been refused.

Officers turned down Paul Clark’s application for a two-storey home off Ventnor’s Madeira Road, next to the Ventnor Towers Hotel.

The clifftop application site is on the edge of Bonchurch, the village which suffered a catastrophic landslide in December 2023.

In addition to bedrooms, plans show the proposed building would have a living room, utility room, kitchen, dining room, ensuite bathroom, dressing room and balcony.

There would also be two car parking spaces and a bike store.

The council received nine letters of objection raising concerns including the building’s modern design being out of keeping with the surrounding Ventnor Conservation Area, ground instability, increased traffic and noise and the loss of trees.

Responding to objecting comments at the end of February, the applicant said:

“It appears that some people have wrongly got the impression that the pine trees will be lost.

"These two trees are subject to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), the building has been designed to protect these two trees. Some low value trees will be lost but these are generally in poor condition and affecting the slope stability.

“We are essentially proposing to replace a 1960s extension with a sustainable contemporary dwelling with high architectural merit.”

County Hall has not yet published a report on the decision.