Surgeries:
5:30-6pm,
Thursday 1st July, Isle of Wight Community Club, Park Road, Cowes.
(THE SURGERY SCHEDULED FOR 8th JULY HAS BEEN CANCELLED)
10:30-11am,
Wednesday 14th July, Benches adj. The Watersedge Café, Princes
Esplanade, Gurnard
11-11:30am,
Wednesday 14th July, The Woodvale, Princes Esplanade, Gurnard.
11-12pm,
Thursday 15th July, Food Shack & Bar, Gurnard Pines, Gurnard.
11-12pm,
Wednesday 21st July, Eegon’s, 85 High Street, Cowes.
4-5pm, Tuesday 27th July, Cowes Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
Postponed due to West Acre Planning Hearing
5:30-6:20pm,
Wednesday 28th July, The Portland, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
Extended Surgery due to Tuesday's postponed surgery.
I have increased surgeries in response to
increased workloads. In respect to
unavoidable postponements, revised times will be posted online within 24 hours
of surgeries. With recent increases in my workload, please bear with me!
Isle of Wight Parliamentary Constituency.
Consultation is again underway on the new two
member Isle of Wight Parliamentary Constituency. Further to comments that I have made to
include Cowes, East Cowes, Newport and West Wight in the Western Constituency
and Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor in the East, the boundary commission to ensure numbers are
‘even’ are consulting on new proposals which dissects the Medina Valley and
Newport.
In my original comments, I highlighted that
the Medina Valley, Newport and the Cowes Estuary should remain in situ given
the similar characteristics these have in contrast to those locations much more
dependent upon tourism.
Details of the consultation which ends on 2nd
August can be found here: http://www.bcereviews.org.uk/.
Planning Applications.
·
63 Solent View Road, Gurnard. Ref:
21/00491/FUL Replacement
Dwelling.
This
application was amended following concerns over its overdevelopment and
impact. Following the scheme being
altered, both the Planning Chairman and Officers considered my initial grounds
to call-in the application were no long sustainable.
·
Bucklers View.
I met
with Southern Housing in June, and have been advised that work to extend the
complex has been postponed with no start date until at least June 2022.
·
31
Marsh Road, Gurnard. Ref: 21/00167/FUL
Proposals
to convert the Little Gloster from Restaurant and dwelling to a two storey
hotel is still under review by planners. This follows an objection raised by
the Environment Agency as the application lies within the Flood Risk area and
therefore requires a Flood Risk Assessment to mitigate against flooding.
·
Champion,
Sticelett Farm, off Rew Street, Gurnard. Ref: 21/00872/DIS Planning
Revisions
Revisions
have been requested to this application located facing Gurnard Ledge. Concerns were again raised concerning the
impact upon the Heritage Coast.
·
69
Marsh Road, Gurnard. Ref: 20/01460/HOU Proposed Balcony.
This
application was refused regarding its height and dominance, and is subject to a
planning appeal.
Traffic Orders.
I
have met with, listened to and had discussions with residents seeking
clarification on recent traffic orders in Marsh
Road and Place Road where
consultations ended on 21st June.
I
have requested an update on this and traffic restrictions for Egypt and Princes Esplanade. An update
and the Cowes Week Traffic Order will appeal in my August report. With the summer now here, I receive regular
calls from residents (particularly from Solent
Shores) concerning blocked accesses and ask that motorists are careful
where they park- as I really don’t want to again fight proposals to implement
parking meters to kerb anti-social parking.
Action
was taken to reopen and reconfigure signage in Cockleton Lane following its closure last month.
Speedwatch.
I
have undertaken Speedwatch Training. The
first road to be monitored is Pallance Road, this will be followed up by an
event taking place in Crossfield Avenue.
If you are interested in volunteering as a member of the local
Speedwatch group please let me know.
Barbecues.
The
IW Council are supporting calls to ensure disposable barbecues are properly
used and disposed of sensibly. If disposable barbecues can be avoided all
together this would be brilliant! If
not, once cooled please ensure barbecues and debris are taken home or to a safe
place to be disposed of after use.
This
follows incidents where barbecues were left on beaches and caused burns when
trodden on, In addition there were a number of instances of damage.
Beach Huts.
Over
the last few months I have received a number of enquiries concerning the
availability of beach huts.
At
Gurnard all huts are privately owned, and when sold these can be advertised
through Estate Agents.
Coastal Path.
The Coastal Path between Gurnard and Thorness has reopened following
the path being rolled back. Many thanks
to the landowners for facilitating this work as I know how important this
footpath is!
Criminal Damage.
I have requested extra police patrols
between Gurnard Marsh and Gurnard Sailing Club.
This follows incidents of criminal damage in the area. Please, if you
witness any suspicious incident let the police know!
Litter.
Thank you to the numerous residents who volunteer
to keep Gurnard Green and Beach pristine. Please can I ask volunteers to keep in touch
with me (with photo’s if possible!), as otherwise the IW Council will not fully
understand the issue with volunteers doing such a great job.
Highways Matters:
·
Hedgerows.
I am advised that minor hedge
control has taken place at The Dottens, Crossfield Avenue, Worsley Road (x2)
and Three Gates Road.
· St Mary’s Junction.
Island Roads advise that vehicles are permitted when leaving the hospital onto Parkhurst Road to U turn to Cowes at the Forest Road junction.
·
E-Scooters.
I arranged a meeting with officers to
discuss the issues with escooters in Cowes High Street following complaints of
the carriage of passengers and the ongoing use by those without a license. During the meeting it was made clear the issue concerning enforcement of the
prohibition to traffic using Shooters Hill and Cowes High Street applied to
cyclists more than escooterists. In
response, I requested a rethink on painting signage on the road surface and
publicity concerning restrictions, whilst residents are requested to continue
reporting ecooter incidents to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXs1QOiFGEdafpz2X7L8UccAbiS7XO4cy8FTqiuoRKmvNgwQ/viewform
The
trial is due to be extended this summer to Sandown, Shanklin and Lake and
continues until March 2022.
Jet Ski’s
The use of jet ski’s have been reported to
the Marine Police, who I pleased to report have continued to monitor their use
in waters frequented by bathers. Please
note a local bye-law exists prohibiting ‘Personal Watercraft’ being used faster
than 8 knots and in depths of less than 2 metres.
Please report incidents to the police at: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
Mainland Visitors.
I continue to receive calls regarding visitors to
the Island. In response to feedback I have requested the IW Council to be more
proactive in their response to ferry operators with respect to visitors both
now and following the 19th July deadline. Because of ongoing ambiguity over what occurs
after then, I have requested clarity from the IW Council.
Supporting local
businesses: Use them or lose them?
Following in the aftermath of Coronavirus, there are a
large number of local businesses that continue to be impacted by the downturn
in custom. This is particularly relevant
to pubs, café’s and small shops- all of which need our support. Please if you can- shop local, as our
community needs all of the support as residents we can offer. This is not only important for the shops
themselves, but also for the many locals who rely upon employment!
Planning and Housing.
·
I am working with Officers on the
Island Plan consultation which goes out to formal consultation later this month
until 30th September. In the
coming weeks I am hosting briefings for IW Councillors and Town/ Parish/ Youth
Councillors prior to consideration by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and
Cabinet, mid-July. Proposals intend to significantly reduce the 1045 annual
housing figure, remove the ambiguity of development ‘immediately adjacent’ to
the settlement boundary, will scrap the intention of creating garden villages
and will offer safeguards in development of green field sites. Once the consultation begins, I will be out
and about listening to feedback from stakeholders across the Island. In the meantime, I have discussed proposals
with Bob Seely, MP and consider that the IW Council and the MP are largely on
the same page.
·
A number of concerns have been relayed
to Ward Councillors concerning local planning matters. On these items, I have offered my support if
required.
·
I have met with and spoken to local
Councillors concerning proposals to develop at Camp Hill and Shalfleet. As Cabinet Member, I have offered tentative
support to relocate Newport Football Club to Seaclose.
·
I have received a briefing from
officers regarding staffing capacity in the Planning Department. This follows a number of concerns raised by
residents and planning agents following a significant influx in planning enquiries
since March. To note, March transpired
to be the busiest month ever for Planning enquiries and from my perspective I
have requested that residents and agents are patient and bear with us during
this upsurge. In the meantime, I am advised by officers that action has been
actioned to address this situation.
·
In the last few weeks I have met with
the Housing Partnership Forum, attended two meetings of Community Led Housing
Forum, attended three meetings with Planning Officers, one meeting with my
Director Chris Ashman a meeting with Housing Renewal Officers, was held to
account by the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils and visited a
heritage asset at Great Whitcombe Manor. These meetings have enabled me to hit
the ground running on ongoing matters.
·
With the budget pending, I have had
ongoing discussions concerning Empty Homes and the potential in the Planning
Act to introduce Compulsory Sale Orders (similar to orders in place in
Scotland) to address long term empty properties (to which we currently have 109
on the Island). With respect to Empty Properties I have asked for a group
briefing on this to take place in September.
·
In addition I have also had discussions
regarding the Disabled Facilities Grant, the Repair and Wellbeing Grant and the
Green Home Funding which ceases on 31st August.
·
At Planning Committee, there was a
positive report in response to Planning Appeals.
·
On the Forward Plan, I have advised
Officers that a paper is written concerning the Civil Penalties Policy/
Procedure.
·
In the meantime, I have a number of
reports that I can’t wait to read. These
include the Three Dragons Report as well as the IW Council’s Housing Strategy and
Regeneration Strategy…
Also this month:
·
I am still chasing up the need for
signage at Roundhouse for Local Shops and Pub to aid economic recovery in
Gurnard.
·
Signage has been requested concerning
cycles leaving Northwood Recreation Ground at speed potentially coming into
conflict with traffic.
·
My Declarations of Interest on my
website. I am hoping for time allow to enable me to post my Annual Report
·
I have been in discussion with officers
concerning the establishment of motor vehicle electric charge points.
·
I have received a number of reports
concerning anti-social behaviour and damage caused to the playground equipment
on Gurnard Green. These have been
reported to the IW Council, the police and Gurnard Parish Council to monitor.
·
I was asked to support residents
following the Council’s Planning Portal failing last month.
·
I have undertaken Licensing Training
·
I have been reappointed to the IW Local
Access Forum
·
A meeting took place with myself,
Gurnard Parish Council and Officers overseeing the English Coastal Path.
·
A summons for non-payment of Council
Tax was withdrawn following ‘confusion’ between a resident and the IWC over
payment of a bill from last year.
·
If you are an owner of a high sided
vehicle and do not have space to park on your property, please think about
where you leave your vehicle. Although
it may not be illegal to park outside a residents home, it often leads to
distress particularly when light or access is impeded. Please note if a householder does have the
courage to address this with a motorist, it is usually for good reason.
·
I continue to receive calls concerning
the sale of Battery Copse between The Esplanade and Battery Road. Please note this land is protected by
woodland tree preservation orders, is designated a SINC (a site of importance
to nature conservation) and is well known for its dodgy land stability (hence
the regular closure of the footpath!)
·
There have been a number of issues
concerning drainage matters at Solent View Road which has been followed up with
Island Road who are the agency responsible for surface water drainage from the
highway.
·
I have been in liaison with Island
Roads concerning No Mow May, where grass verges are not cut. This has caused concerns, particularly in
light of the backlog of cutting regimes.
·
Consultation has commenced on proposals
to regenerate the Ryde Interchange. For information please visit: https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/Transport-Parking-and-Streets/Highways-PFI/Highway-Improvement-Schemes1 The consultation continues until 3rd
August.
·
Now that proposals to implement
seafront charges have been scrapped, I am discussing options to create a
permissive path connecting Gurnard Primary School with Princes Esplanade.
