Four 'Affordable' Rental Flats For Veterans To Be Built On Vacant Newport Land

Four ‘affordable’ rental flats specifically for veterans will be built on vacant land in the Isle of Wight’s county town.

Planners have given the go ahead to an application for four one-bedroom flats on land between 36 and 42 New Street in Newport, submitted by County Hall’s community led housing officer John Prickett.

The proposed homes, each including a kitchen and living area and bathroom, are classed as ‘social, affordable or intermediate rent’ housing, according to the council’s application form.

Until November last year, the New Street site was used as a council-owned non-public car park.

Mr Prickett’s application form said:

“These are to be affordable rented homes specifically for veterans.

“Each will have access from the ground level with no shared internal space.

“The building has been designed to suit the conservation area location using brick and slate construction using a bond in keeping with the street scene and windows with a horizontal emphasis.

“Refuse and other storage will be away from the street front.”

“Members were in agreement that this is a beneficial use of a vacant Isle of Wight Council site and in principle should be supported.

“However, the frontage is to be defined by a low brick wall with a small front garden area, and this is completely out of character with the existing street scene and conservation area.

“Members noted that nearby Chapel Street has houses with this feature, but this cannot be seen in New Street.”

Newport Central county and community councillor Julie Jones-Evans objected, citing concern over the “set back nature” of the development’s frontage.

County Hall’s decision report said:

“The development would help to meet a demand for affordable veteran housing on the Island. This is a brownfield site located in a residential area close to Newport town centre.

“The development would be funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust through their capital projects programme, and the flats would be owned by the council and managed through Southern Housing.

“The site has been used by the council for private parking but the demand for private parking has been limited and no objections to a loss of private parking has been received."