Surgeries:
4:30-5pm, Tuesday 6th
May, Cowes Library, Beckford
Road, Cowes
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 6th
May, Sports Bar, Isle of Wight Community Club, Park Road, Cowes.
5:30-6:30pm, Thursday
8th May, The Little Gloster, Marsh Road, Gurnard. (Coast Protection
Issues)
12-12:45pm, Wednesday
14th May, The Woodvale, Gurnard.
1-1:30pm, Wednesday
14th May, The Little Gloster,
Marsh Road, Gurnard.
3-3:30pm, Thursday 22nd May, Cowes Enterprise College,
Crossfield Avenue, Cowes.
6-6:30pm, Thursday 29th
May, The Portland, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
4:30-5pm, Tuesday 3rd
June, Cowes Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
5:30-6pm, Tuesday 3rd
June, Sports Bar, Isle of Wight Community Club, Park Road, Cowes
Annual Report.
I have circulated my Annual Report to most
households in Cowes West and Gurnard. Please let me know if you have not
received yours.
Coastal
Protection.
In the last month work has
commenced to repair damaged frontages in Shore Path and Solent View Road which
was damaged in February by storms. These works have been authorised and
consented by the Coastal Protection Officers within the IW Council. In addition to this, I am advised that the
seawall in front of the Beach Huts in Gurnard is due to be reinstated before
mid-May.
A special surgery will take place on the 8th
May at the Little Gloster whilst Information Sheets on grants available and how
to apply has been circulated to residents affected. For details please see below:
Dear
Councillor Fuller,
I
wanted to provide some advice and information notes about, firstly, the Flood
Grants now available and, secondly, the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP)
policies that affect the Gurnard area, and how we will next be looking at
coastal risks.
The
email outlines the new specific funds available following the recent flooding
(to assist residents and businesses to recover), and concludes with some
information about the broader picture of the current funding arrangements for
flood and coastal defences, for which the national system changed in 2011. As
the coastal defences in the area are privately owned, the IWC can act as a
signpost the following information and links, but is unable to undertake any
works on these defences themselves.
I
have spoken to colleagues here and am unable currently to commit to a meeting,
I’m afraid. I really hope the following information can help however, and
you are very welcome to circulate the attachment and info. to residents and
businesses if this is of assistance, I hope.
Please
find further details to answer your queries as follows:
1. Adverse Weather Events and
Flooding Funding:
I have located the following information on flood grants on the
IWC’s website, from which the following extract is taken. Full
information and individual contact details for these schemes can be found
online, please click here: http://www.iwight.com/Council/OtherServices/Financial-Management/Adverse-Weather-Events-Funding
‘Householders, businesses, farmers and the council itself may have
incurred costs as a result of the recent adverse weather events. The various
schemes announced by the Government to provide financial support are summarised
below along with contact details and links to further documentation’.
·
Business support scheme funding may be available for small and medium sized businesses
which were impacted by the floods and which suffered a significant loss of
trade and meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme.
·
Repair and Renewal Grants of up to £5000 per household or business are
being provided to fund additional flood resilience or resistance measures for
homes and businesses that have flooded since 1st December 2013.
·
The Local Assistance Scheme (LAS) for Island residents who
are in genuine hardship.
·
Business Rates Flooding Relief,
·
Council Tax discounts of up to 3 months,
·
Farming Recovery Funding
·
Bellwin Scheme (an application from the IWC to government).
Full details: of each of these schemes and the people to contact for further
information are provided on this weblink. http://www.iwight.com/Council/OtherServices/Financial-Management/Adverse-Weather-Events-Funding
Questions: If you have any questions about these schemes or the repairs they
could apply to, please contact Matthew.Hill@iow,gov.uk for further information.
Additionally, here is a link to the national government
website containing a Guidance Note on the flood support package and
eligibility for the schemes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses
2.
Isle of Wight Shoreline Management Plan
Summary poster:
I remember that when the SMP underwent
consultation in October 2010 I spoke to you when you were developing a mailshot
letter for approximately 150 houses and for Gurnard Parish Council, in which we
used the Poster attached to this email (PDF file, including a map, and
descriptions) to summarise the SMP policies for the Gurnard area.
This Poster (although produced at the
consultation stage) still applies as a good summary of the SMP policies adopted
for the area, if you wish to use something to circulate now?
Policy wording, and full information:
In addition to the summary provided in the
poster, the full description of the final SMP Policies for the Gurnard areas
can be found in Chapter 4.2 of the Final SMP, available online at:
·
http://www.coastalwight.gov.uk/smp/FINAL_SMP_for_web/pdf_MainDoc/Chapter4/Chapter4_PDZ1_Dec10_Final.pdf. This chapter describes the area, predicts what future risks will
be, sets ‘policies’, and gives the reasoning behind the policies. In
particular, please see the discussion on pages 92-96 and the Policies for
Gurnard on pages 99-103.
Overview:
As outlined, the defences along
Marsh Road and Shore Path are privately owned defences. The SMP
identified that areas of the communities in Gurnard and Gurnard Luck face risks
from tidal flooding, fluvial flooding, coastal erosion and slope movement, but
also recognised the wishes of the local community to wish to repair and
maintain their own private coastal defences (and/or proactively raise the
height of their properties etc., acknowledging those flood risks) by setting a
‘Hold the Line’ policy for the first 20 years, whilst making it clear that the
area was unlikely to qualify for national funding for the future of these
private defences, but residents may wish to do something themselves.
In the medium and long term (50
and 100 years), the SMP policy changes to ‘No Active Intervention’ (also known
as -do nothing), recognising the increasing risks the community faces, and that
the community will need to adapt to future changes rather than continue to
reply on the existing coastal defences in the long term. Additionally
there is the short section of cliff between Marsh Road and Shore Path that is
currently undefended and this has a ‘No Active Intervention’ policy from the
present day onwards.
What the community can do:
In terms of what the community
can do, in addition to the flood grants outlined above, if the landowners wish
to fund repairs to their private coastal defences, particularly in the areas
with a ‘Hold the Line’ policy, they could develop their own proposals, and we
would recommend they discuss these proposals with the IWC Planning Authority
(regarding all development above the Mean Low Water Mark -please email development@iow.gov.uk to be
allocated the appropriate contact person), and also with the Environment Agency
(re. flood risk), with Natural England (re. the offshore international SAC
designation, below the Mean Low Water Mark) and with the Marine Management
Organisation (re. all areas up to the Mean High Water Mark), to determine if
the scale and design of works raises any concerns for them, to identify which
permissions would be required, and to begin that process, as needed.
The West Wight Coastal Strategy:
The West Wight Coastal Strategy
(including this area) will be undertaken by the Isle of Wight Council and the
Environment Agency over two years from 2014 to 2016, and will involve full
public Consultation as it is developed. The Strategy will take the SMP
policies a stage further on, to identify future coastal defence
requirements. More specifically, it will seek to determine the methods
and timings of future works, and how they could be funded. If individual
schemes are determined to necessary and theoretically achievable, they will
then involve seeking partnership funding contributions from those who
benefit from future coastal defence schemes, under new arrangements brought in
by the national government in May 2011. You will
appreciate however that this is work that is in its infancy and will certainly
not be a route through which short term projects can be addressed.
Partnership funding example:
The following example may
also be of interest, where a community at West Wittering worked together to
provide a large funding contribution towards a flood defence scheme. It
involved the Parish
Council, residents, the landowner and the Environment Agency: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/130590.aspx
Planning
Issues: Place Road Proposal for 90 dwellings.
Over 500 comments have been received
relating to the above planning application.
The main issues raised by objectors to this planning applications
include:
·
Loss of Green strategic gap between Cowes and
Gurnard.
·
No justification for housing need/ contrary
to Gurnard’s Housing Need Survey.
·
Concerns regarding the single access.
·
Loss of Amenity and Privacy for residents.
·
Concerns regarding Flood Risk.
·
Environmental and Ecological Concerns.
·
Concerns over proximity of Utility Mains.
Planning Officers will continue to receive
comments. I am advised that the application may be determined by May or June’s Planning
Committee, with a likely recommendation in coming weeks.
Planning News: Edge
of Town Retail Units.
A special meeting is to be held this summer
to consider the three applications for edge of town retail units. One of the applications which will be
determined is the use of the former Reader’s Site in Place Road.
It is anticipated these applications will be
considered in June or July.
Street Lighting.
The IW Council are considering improving
lighting in sections of Mounbatten Avenue, Cowes and Albert Road, Gurnard.
In the meantime, lights in Park Road have
remained on during daylight hours. This,
Island Roads states was necessary following repairs to faulty lanterns and the
need for these to reconnect to the central control system.
Assisted
Area Status Update.
Following the case put by the IW Council in
partnership with our MP, the Government has agreed to support the northern half
of the Isle of Wight for Assisted Area Status.
Should the European Parliament support this
recommendation (There is no such reason, not to!), the Assisted Area Status map
will be altered accordingly to include the northern section of the Island from
1st July.
This will enable Island Businesses to apply
for Grants to expand and create new jobs.
In the meantime, locally Council Leader, Cllr Ian Stephens is seeking
opportunities to create a Local Enterprise Zone for the Medina Valley.
Buses.
I continue to receive a great a number of
complaints from residents who contact me unable to claim a seat on Southern
Vectis buses.
This is a problem for elderly passengers
alighting bus services from Roundhouse, and is affected by students during the
summer months.
Despite passenger levels continuing to grow
and last year’s consultation Southern Vectis has not provided larger bus or
extra services between Cowes & Newport… Yet!
This is an issue, which I continue to monitor
and welcome feedback from passengers.
As yet, as I hoped there remains no drop off
for passengers on service 32 wishing to stop adjacent to Aldi. Once again, I continue to lobby the IW Bus
Forum for this!
Cowes
Enterprise College.
The College continues to remain in the limelight
following the student protest held last term, and the public meeting called by
the IW County Press which focused largely on the ongoing delays in fulfilling
this important building project.
The Full Council are due to consider the cost
of demolishing, clearing and redevelopment of the old school and putting right
shortcomings within the new building.
Hampshire County Council has estimated that this could cost between £5m
and £9m. In the meantime the IW Council
are seeking agencies to fund this.
On both the restructuring (to be funded from
the school’s budget) and the school building (to be overseen- and potentially
funded by the IW Council) a number of parents and residents have asked several
questions which require answers.
Car Parking Consultation
The IW Council are due to undertake a Public
Consultation on Parking. The
consultation runs from 2nd -
30th May. For further
details, please visit the consultation section of iwight.com
PPI
Claims.
I received the following information by a
resident who benefitted from this.
You
can reclaim £1,000s on PPI yourself. This service is easy, free and overcomes
handing 30% to a no-win, no-fee PPI claims handler. Everyone who's got or had a
loan, credit or store card, catalogue, overdraft or car finance should check
now if they were mis-sold these policies in the past.
For further information please visit: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/ppi-loan-insurance#steps
Within the website is a step-by-step guide on
how to benefit from PPI premiums refunded, including free PPI complaint
templates, info on how to deal with an offer, and making a complaint if your
payout wasn't as it should have been.
Alternatively please visit the following
website, for information from the Citizens Advice Bureau: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/debt_e/debt_insurance_e/payment_protection_insurance.htm
Beaches
Recommended.
Both Cowes and Gurnard beaches have been
recommended as good beaches by the Marine Conservation Society. This follows
100% positive results for both beaches which were tested on a regular basis
during the summer by the Environment Agency.
My grateful thanks to the groups,
organisations and individuals, who have been very pro-active in supporting
guidance provided to reduce litter and pollutants on our beaches.