St Lawrence Residents Say Holiday Cottages Will 'Spoil The Village'

'It would spoil the village completely.' Residents have slammed plans to add more ‘unsympathetic’ holiday properties in St Lawrence, worried it will turn the area into a ‘holiday village’.

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Proposals have been submitted to transform, what planning agents say is an ’empty and dilapidated’, St Rhadagund’s hotel on Undercliff Drive – turning the main 32-bed building into two houses while adding six three-bed two-storey tourism units on land to the rear of the property.

Owners, Turner Holiday Rentals, already own property in St Lawrence and submitted the plans following emergency repair work to the roof done last year.

Planning agents, Plan Research, said the owners are now looking to further save the property, willing to invest to bring the ‘eyesore site’ back to its original residential use.

A consultation event with village residents drew suggestions to restore the main building to a hotel, instead of building new properties.

Despite considering the comments, plans have gone ahead to add the six-holiday units behind existing properties on Spindlers Road — which would in some cases, residents fear, look straight into the already-existing houses.

Avril, who has lived in her house on Spindlers Road since the 1960s, said the site is not an eyesore but it was a shame, “the development would spoil the beautiful village with so many people.”

Her son, Nick, who grew up in the house, said the area was completely inappropriate for the development, with the houses ‘literally the other side’ of their garden wall, with the quiet peaceful, environment broken.

A concern repeatedly raised by residents of Spindlers Road is the noise disturbance derived from holiday properties, which they already experience from lets owned by Turner Holiday Rentals.

In submitted planning documents, agents say the owners are planning to live in St Rhadagund’s and would be on site to deal with noise complaints quickly.

Residents, however, are dubious that would happen.

Suzie, a shift worker in a care home, said fireworks have been let off by guests before which has caused an issue.

She said: “It makes no sense, no logic; we are feeling a little bullied. These are the smallest houses in the village and if these are going to be built they should be built for local families, who need them, there is a shortage of affordable housing anyway.”

One young family in the village said the development feels like a given, they have heard talks of people already getting their homes valued and feel the Isle of Wight Council are not going to consider noise issues when determining the application — that council taxpayers are less important than tourists.

They said:

“We are worried it will set a precedent; it will lead the way for developments in small villages on the Island which is more detrimental to tourism when you have a whole holiday village instead of integrated spaces.

“We would never have thought when we were moving here there is potential for that kind of development right on our doorsteps.”

Another resident, whose property will potentially be the most affected should the development go ahead, has lived in their house since the 1950s and fears it will just be the start as Turner Holiday Rentals owns other land further down Seven Sisters Road.

Other issues raised by residents is the development would cause more traffic issues, impact wildlife and that planning documents are ‘disingenuous’ in some areas, for example, claiming St Rhadagunds was a hotel.

They say the establishment was never really a hotel, but a Christian Holiday Centre that was only open during the summer, with fewer private vehicles, compared to what has been said in planning documents.

With the landslip also closing Undercliff Drive, from St Lawrence through to Niton, one resident said while it may still be an A-road in name only, it is not fit for purpose and it would increase traffic pressure on the Shute into the village.

To view the proposals, 21/00905/FUL, you can view the council’s planning register. Comments will be accepted until 14th June.

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