COUNCILLORS stuck to their guns last night (Tuesday) in a vain attempt to find a reason to refuse the latest major Ryde housing development.

The 473-home Westridge Farm scheme was given conditional approval at the Isle of Wight Council's planning committee meeting after councillors debated the 'head versus heart' decision.

However, attempting to go against officers' recommendations, Cllrs Claire Critchison, Warren Drew, Chris Jarman and John Medland spent nearly an hour searching for a material planning condition which could be used to turn down.

With the Isle of Wight Council failing to meet planning targets, the planning authority has to presume in favour of development unless there is something materially wrong with the application.

Isle of Wight County Press: Protestors outside of County Hall before the meeting.Protestors outside of County Hall before the meeting.

Planning officer Sarah Wilkinson said: "We are not looking for an extraordinary justification to approve the development we are looking for an extraordinary reason to refuse it."

Some of the suggested reasons for refusal, and the advice given to them by planning officers, are listed below:

  • Human Rights — Cllr Jarman worried the rights of many were overlooking the rights of a few but planning officers said they had considered it in their reasoning but must be balanced against other planning conditions in the acceptability of the scheme.
  • Impact of traffic — the council cannot go against a national model used to determine the potential increase in traffic, which found it would not have an impact, unless they had evidence to suggest otherwise.
  • Standards of living and housing density — the number of dwellings per hectare is below the national standard with the green open space proposed larger than other developments approved.
  • Lack of sustainable features — the property specifications meet building regulations and there is nothing that requires developers, Captiva Homes, to go above them.
  • Environment — It is not a designated site recognised under the planning policy, so would be a 'dangerous policy' to reference.
  • Farming — Ms Wilkinson said: "Policies do no protect farming" and advised against referring to farming in any refusal.

Isle of Wight County Press: The planning committee meeting.The planning committee meeting.

Councillors tried to refer to the newest version of the Island Planning Strategy, which will go out to consultation at the end of July, but the council's strategic planning officer Ollie Boulter, said he would 'completely advise against attaching weight to policies of an emerging local plan that is in such early stage of its infancy'.

He said: "I do not think refusal based on emerging policies would be sustained and I would even go so far to say it would be considered to be unreasonable behaviour in a planning appeal."

Ultimately, Cllr Jarman proposed refusal on the basis it would lose area of pasture land and historic landscape which would have an impact on the heritage and culture of the area.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The vote fell with four aside but with Cllr Geoff Brodie having the deciding as vote as chair the application was refused.

Cllr Brodie said when councillors decided to go against officers recommendation they needed a reason that was sustainable and defensible should the decision be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

He said while planning officers were doing everything they could to find a reason that would hold up, despite significant warnings, councillors were 'not helping them' and it was a 'desperate' attempt.

Cllr Brodie said on the planning committee it is always about making a balanced judgement and while he may not take pleasure in the decision sometimes 'you have to do the right thing' by providing affordable housing for more Islanders, 'the greater good'.

After the meeting chair of the Isle of Wight Green Party Vix Lowthion said while there are lots of critical arguments against the scheme, under national planning policies they are not significant grounds for rejection.

She said: "The spirited fight to protect Westridge Farm in the last few years were decent, right and well-meaning but destined to failure against the enforced laws of England, which demand more and more house building.

“Islanders are rightly angry that – yet again – another mass housing development has been granted and will see acres of productive farmland being carved up and tarmacked over. But do not get angry at local councillors. They did not write these laws, or impose these targets.

“Get angry at the Conservative government who wrote these laws, and continue to fail to protect our precious countryside. They are the root of this misery, and their representatives deserve our scorn for being members of that party and allowing this to happen.”