Surgeries:
4-4:30pm, Tuesday 1st October, Cowes Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
5-6pm, Tuesday 1st October, Sports Bar, IW Community Club, Park Road, Cowes. (for Highways Issues)
6-6:30pm, Thursday 10th October, The Woodvale, Princes
Esplanade, Gurnard.
1-1:30pm Wednesday 16th October, Little Gloster, Marsh Road,
Gurnard.
3-3:30pm, Wednesday 23rd October, Cowes Enterprise College,
Crossfield Avenue, Cowes.
6-6:30pm, Thursday 31st October, The Portland, Worsley Road,
Gurnard.
4:30-5pm, Tuesday 5th November, Cowes Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 5th November, Sports Bar, Isle of Wight Community Club, Park Road, Cowes.
Land Adjacent to 44 Worsley Road Approved.
The
IW Council’s Planning Committee voted 5 votes to 2 in supporting the officers
recommendation to approve the proposal to develop 15 dwellings adjacent to 44
Worsley Road. (Cllrs Richard Hollis and Julia Baker-Smith, being the two
members voting against this recommendation)
As
Local Councillor I spoke for 5 minutes and joined Carolyn Sibley (Chairman of
Gurnard Village Hall Association) and Martha James (on behalf of Gurnard Parish
Council), who spoke for 3 minutes each, whilst David Booth was appointed to
speak on behalf of the applicant.
Clearly
following the extent of representations, I was disappointed by the outcome
despite the applicant and planners taking steps to overcome some of the many
concerns raised by objectors.
Within
the approved scheme there are a significant number of ‘conditions’ which were imposed.
These include:
- Protection of
trees and creation of ‘wildlife’ area between the development and the
River Jordan.
- A high
proportion of housing being marketed to satisfy local affordable housing
need.
In
addition, further conditions were added, following representations made during
the meeting:
- A sequential
development ensuring the affordable housing is constructed first.
- That no
development takes place until the access road is constructed.
Many
thanks to Carolyn, Martha, and to those residents who commented to successive
applications for this site.
I
am advised the Section 106 agreement is currently being discussed and
negotiated. The Decision Notice will be produced once this has been agreed,
which could take a few months. Once this
is has been done, I will ensure full details of conditions etc. appear on my
Blog.
Safe Routes to Local
Schools.
In
September, I arranged a site meeting with Highways Officers and Police to
consider options for traffic restrictions in Baring Road & Woodvale
Road, following consultations which took place earlier this year with Gurnard Primary School and local
residents.
I
hopeful, that all parties would agree to a temporary traffic order being
implemented, however during the site visit one parent and one resident of
Baring Road showed some opposition to this.
It now seems likely that any traffic order would be subject to further
consultation. The proposals are likely
to consider traffic restrictions between the school and Battery Road, traffic
restrictions between Cow Lane and ‘round the bend’ in Woodvale Road and some
restricted parking on the cycle lane.
In
Cowes, at Blackberry Lane I attended
a site meeting to discuss the safety and improvements to the lane following the
increased thoroughfare for school children and other pedestrians accessing Cowes Primary School, Cowes Enterprise College and the
Crossfield Estate.
I’m
also aware, and have received requests to restrict parking in Crossfield Avenue, following Cowes
Enterprise College moving to its new site.
This is an issue I have taken up with Highways Officers and the College.
CS16 No Further Action requested on Gurnard Coastal
Path Diversion.
Following
180 residents signing a petition objecting to proposals to divert the entrance
of the Gurnard to Thorness public footpath to the south of Chalets facing the
Luck, I have requested Rights Of Way take no further action on this proposal.
Given
the reasons supplied by objectors, such as the loss of what many considered to
be the most scenic stretch of this footpath, which was contested by land
ownership issues (only the owners of Crockers have their land registered!)
The
footpath CS17 west, will be amended following no comments, relating to this
aspect of the Diversion Order.
Many thanks
to all residents who contacted me concerning this!
Consultation on Isle of Wight Council Governance
The Framework for Change document, which is to be
used as the basis for developing the council’s Corporate Plan, expresses the
view that changes need to be made to the member level decisions so that they:
- Are more open
- Are more transparent
- Provide for all members (regardless of political group membership)
to have an input into policy development
- Allow individual members to raise issues for consideration by the
Cabinet
Good governance arrangements will also ensure good
decision making and lessen the risk of external challenge to decisions made, in
support of all the council’s key priority areas.
Councillors at the Annual Council expressed a wish
to move to ‘a committee form of governance’ and established a Constitution
Review Working Party which developed three options. It was agreed by Full
Council that the new arrangements would come into effect from the Annual
Council meeting set for 19 March 2014.
The working party (comprising the Leader and Deputy
Leader of the Council and the leaders of all the other groups and the Liberal
Democrat member) have met three times and have considered three options:
- The current cabinet/leader/scrutiny model
- A committee structure
- A hybrid system consisting of one party cabinet, with a small
number of politically proportionate committees and one Scrutiny Committee.
The working party also assessed each of the three
options against the following criteria:
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Inclusiveness
- Member/Officer resources
- Impact on decision making
Details for each of the options can be found in the
report considered by the Council on 18 September 2013 which can be found on the
iwight.com website
To date, consultation has been within the
Constitution Review Working Party and group leaders have had some discussions
within their own groups.
The Full Council agreed that it is important that
members of the public and Town/ Parish Councils are invited to comment on the
options. The Overview & Scrutiny Committee are due to consider these at
their meeting on 3 October 2013.
The IW Council would like your views on these
options and are also keen to hear any other comments or suggestions that you
might have. Please let us have your views by completing the on-line questionnaire
(Please contact me if you do not have access to complete the survey this way!)
The consultation will run from until 31 October,
with feedback being reported to Full Council on 20th November 2013.
Cowes Enterprise College.
Governors
at Cowes Enterprise College have appointed a new permanent principal, Rebecca
Pearce to build upon the progress made by seconded Head Teacher, Christine
Hardman.
Last
week, I joined Cllr Nicholson, Cllr Geoff Banks and Cllr. David Jones, when the
College opened up its doors to local residents and the wider community. (Please
let me know if you missed this opportunity and would like an opportunity to
visit)
In
the meantime, I have now been formally appointed as Local Authority Governor at
the college, and very much look forward to becoming more fully involved and
seeing the Cowes community being even more actively involved in the school.
At the
Children & Young People Scrutiny Meeting, the Director confirmed Building
Contractor for the new college, Pihl UK had gone into administration. Councillors
were advised funds remained available to complete the demolition and reinstatement
of the former school site, whilst I have requested a further meeting is
convened to appraise Cowes Councillors of progress.
Economy and Environment Scrutiny Panel.
At
the Economy & Environment Scrutiny Panel, Matt Kitchen, General Manager of
Southern Vectis was in attendance. Also invited were representatives of
the IW Youth Council and local Bus and Rail Users Group.
Mr
Kitchen highlighted that in the last 12 months there had been a 5% increase in
passenger numbers, through ticketing was now available across the network and
beyond to the Mainland and Regional Hospitals. It was reported that the
company had worked closely with the IW Council in accessing Local Sustainable
Transport funding, with the expansion of their Coaster Bus, which could carry
up to 6 bicycles.
Within
the second half of the meeting, On scrutinising the Quarterly Programme and
various local issues (inc. Street Trading licenses) members strongly indicated
the need for Cabinet Members to have a greater presence at future meetings.
Subsequently the Chairman has contacted the six members requesting their
attendance at all future meetings.
At
the moment the two Task and Finish Groups scrutinising last year’s budgetary
savings and Car Parking are awaiting a response from officers. This has
been chased up!
Southern Water:
Business Plan 2015-2020 Consultation.
I
attended a seminar to assess proposals for Southern Water’s imminent business
plan. Within the proposals Southern
Water promises the following (Red indicates
significant improvement, Orange indicates
improvement and Green indicates to maintain):
- Responsive Customer Service. (To include: Quick and Effective responses to queries; To understand and address customer’s needs, concerns and
expectations; To provide a service that reflects local issues).
- A Constant Supply of High Quality
Drinking Water. (To
include: A reliable water supply, now and in
the future; Drinking water quality at least
as high as it is today; Acceptable water pressure; Reductions in water
hardness)
- Removing wastewater effectively. (To include: Providing a reliable and effective wastewater
service; Minimising flooding from sewers;
Limiting unpleasant smells).
- Looking After the Environment. (To include: Rivers and Streams free from pollution; Clean Beaches and Coastal Waters; Minimise carbon emissions and use wastewater for
renewable energy; Environmentally
sustainable water and waste water).
- Better Information and Advice. (To include: Information on how to save water; Advice on avoiding blocked drains; A clear, easy to
understand bill; Information about where your money goes).
- Affordable Bills. (To include: More efficient services through innovation, research
and new technology; Practical ways to save water and money; Helping ensure
everyone can afford their bills).
Southern
Water advises they want to hear views on their draft plan. Please visit:www.southernwater.co.uk/haveyoursay,
or telephone 01903 272349 for further information.
Solent Forum.
I
attended my first meeting as member of the Solent Forum. At my first meeting (held in Cowes) Isle of Wight Council Planning Officers
outlined the ongoing consultation on the Medina Valley Area Action Plan and the
response received from Maritime Industries located on the River Medina. Planning Officers also highlighted the
Community Infrastructure Levy and opportunities for ensuring new housing developments
are of high amenity value
Associated
British Ports, reported on the need for Dredging
in the Solent. This being due to the fact that cruise liners and container
vessels entering Southampton and other ports have increased in size since 2006.
ABP
outlined that Environmental Guidance, contaminent testing and the Gridding Plan highlighting dredging
and disposal areas are overseen by the Environment Agency. Of concern was the
fact 1.5 billion tonnes of dredged aggregates would be returned to sea as no agency
expressed any use for this material. This was considered unsustainable.
Also
during the meeting Cpt Stuart McIntosh reported on the Cowes Breakwater Project, Concerns were raised by the RSPCA
following evidence linking building
pressure may result upon birds dying, whilst anglers/ bait diggers
challenged new laws which banned activities in and around sea grass sites and adjacent to
Reef features.
Work
is underway with Devon and Dorset on the South
Marine Plan, and I’m due to attend the workshop on 9th October
with Cllr Dave Stewart and other members of the Solent’s Coastal Community.
Local Access Forum.
The
Bridleways Group meet regularly with Rights Of Way, and it was reported that Church Lane, Northwood may be
classified as Bridleway as it has been used by horse riders, without
objections… apparently.
Good
news on reopening public footpaths. The footpath
N59 in Carisbrooke has now reopened- The bad news being the unstable
protected wall collapsed!
An
agreement has been found between landowners and the IW Council to reopen the Coastal Path between Howgate Road and Whitecliff Bay,
Bembridge.
Following
the refusal by DEFRA to recognise the Isle of Wight’s inclusion within the Maritime and Coastal Access Act, The
Isle of Wight Ramblers Association are now seeking support for the Island’s
inclusion by way of a voluntary approach to Landowners. The Ramblers see potential funding being
possible within a second tranche of Local Sustainable Transport Funding (LSTF)
Grant- particularly given the section around East Cowes has some support from
the owners of the Osborne Estate, English Heritage (East Cowes has no Rights of
Way north of Whippingham)
Will
Ainslie, who has recently been appointed as the Local Sustainable Transport Funding Officer, has reported that the
focus of the £3m funding is currently on access to tourism sites by sustainable
means. Current Projects include the
expansion of the Coaster Bus Service to take bicycles, Real-Time Travel Information
and upgrading shared use surfaces
However,
Mr Ainslie has noted following LAF representations that Equestrian/ Horseriding
links and improved access to Coaches and Taxi’s are an issue that will be
discussed.
Elsewhere
within the Forum it was reported that Forestry Commission and the Police are
supporting an initiative where Horseriders
can use a path between Hillis Gate and
Forest Road, in addition to this the Forum are hoping that the footpath
between Marks Corner and Whitehouse Road can be upgraded back to being a
Bridleway. This would enable Horse
Riders to access the Tennyson Trail from Cowes and Northwood.
Overview and Scrutiny
Committee: Budget Outlook.
At
Overview and Scrutiny, the financial prospect for local authorities continues
to look bleak. Members were advised that
it would continue to be important for Councils to work across authority and by
working alongside Town & Parish Councils. Over the next 5 years the IW
Council will be expected to find £34m of ‘savings’, and the IW Council were
seeking to undertake public engagement when developing budget saving options.
Once
again, it seems likely that Government will incentivise, by financial reward
local authorities who freeze Council Tax and therefore Councils will need to
optimise funding opportunities from other sources (i.e car parking, bereavement
services, disposal of assets etc.)
Children and Young
People Scrutiny.
Director
of Children’s Services for Hampshire County Council, John Coughlan outlined the
need for the Isle of Wight Council to raise aspirations in schools.
It
was reported that Secondary School Attendance rates on the Island was by far
the worst in the country with 1 in 12 days being missed through absence. Other concerns Mr Coughlan had related to the
extent of surplus places in secondary schools and what impact there would be
once the Free School and Studio School are established in coming years.
It
was felt that the Service for Young People could not be stabilised if cutbacks/
savings are implemented next year.
In the last month:
- I attended the
AONB Annual Forum, and visited Newtown Nature Reserve. On site, members heard that following
spring tides this Autumn the shingle spits which offer some shelter for Newtown
Harbour were breached by the high tide.
If the shingle spits are lost as a result this could adversely impact upon the
ecology of the harbour.
- I met with the new
owner of a property in Church Road who is levelling land for a pending application
for 2 semi-detached houses.
- I have relayed
enquiries to Island Roads/ Highways following Traffic Delays in Newport.
- A request has
been received for double yellow lines at the Parkland Avenue junction in
Park Road.
- Woodland, rear
of Solent Lawns has been marketed for sale.
- The Local Access
Group has disbanded. I will be
discussing with both the police and the groups former Chairman on options
where Local Safety Concerns can be relayed to the Police and IW Council.
- I continue to
receive correspondence from residents concerned about Wind Turbines at
Parkhurst. A request was made
during this month’s planning committee for members to visit Wind Farms
elsewhere, which I support.
- I have been
approached by residents enquiring the timescales for the replacement of
trees on Mornington Green.
- Complaints were
received from residents regarding dinghies left on the path adjacent to
the Beach Huts, Gurnard. The IW
Council have approached Gurnard Sailing Club, following a boat causing
injury to a member of public.
- At the Gurnard
Harvest Fayre and within Gurnard’s Planning For Real Consultation on
successive weekends I received exceptional feedback from Cowes and Gurnard
residents about local issues.
- The next Gurnard
Litter Pick event will take place at 10am, Saturday 26th
October from Gurnard Village Hall.
