Residents of an Isle of Wight village are frustrated with the lack of decision on a housing development and have formed a protest group – Locals Against Whitwell Sprawl (LAWS).
Plans for more than 20 houses on a field off of Whitwell High Street were first submitted in October 2021 and a decision was supposed to have been made by the Isle of Wight Council in January 2022 but the decision deadline has been extended.
Explaining the situation, a council spokesperson said the planning department raised a number of concerns around the proposals for 22 houses with the applicant, Perry Properties.
As a result, the developers have addressed issues and provided further information to the authority.
The application, 21/01827/FUL, must now be determined by the end of October, which the council said will allow it time to see if it can arrive at a decision, or if required, go to the planning committee.
The extension, however, has frustrated and angered residents, say a group objecting to the application, as they await the future of the field.
A council spokesperson said the authority recognises residents’ concerns and shares their desire for the application to be determined at the earliest opportunity.
They said it is expected a decision will be made within the extended time frame of October.
The development, which would be accessed from the High Street, had been described as suitable for the village location, in planning documents.
Multiple objections have been submitted by residents during the stages of plans, raising concerns over access issues, flood risks, the removal of parking on the High Street and the loss of a greenfield site.
A statement from LAWS has highlighted the issues with the application and said the village does not have the infrastructure to support the size of development, nor would the development add anything to the village.
They said the application is still missing vital information for it to be credible and villagers “are putting their faith into the council’s planning department or committee to refuse the application”.
The group also raised concerns about a Grade 2 listed water hydrant by the proposed entrance to the site, which the village is ‘unlikely to give permission to move’.
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