Date: 17th April 2003
Released by: ANDREW TURNER

Island MP Andrew Turner has called for a review of the IW Council’s planning and car-parking policies which, he says, are ‘causing misery to householders and commuters alike’.

Pointing to examples drawn from just one edition of the Isle of Wight County Press, he said:

“It has taken five years to get a park-and-ride scheme up and running in Cowes, despite the fact that the Council knew for ten years that the Denmark Road car park would be built on (after the Council sold the land to developers) [IWCP, 4th April 2003, p 5].

“Meanwhile they are giving permission for more and more homes in Cowes, with inadequate car-parking, because the Unitary Development Plan says they must. And of course it was the IW Council who wrote the Plan. In one example they have allowed 13 new flats with only 4 off-street parking spaces [p 13].

“At the same time the Council proposes removing on-street parking for householders at the top end of Bellevue Road – where it is essential. They said that householders own too many vehicles for residents’ parking permits to be introduced, when the Council itself is proposing that every household in a residents’ parking zone should be entitled to two permits. [p 2].

“A huge number of Islanders rely on the passenger services through Cowes and Ryde to get to their places of work on the mainland. They earn off the Island and bring the money back hear to spend. And people have to live in houses which were designed before the advent of the motor car. The head-in-the-sand approach that says ‘if you don’t plan for the car, it will go away’ is causing misery for householders and commuters alike.

“I welcome the development of Park and Ride. But Cowes and Ryde need a plan for parking which provides for both commuters and residents. The Council is looking at turning St Mary’s Road car park into a multi-storey, and they are shortly to create replacement UDP called the local development framework. I hope they take the opportunity to plan realistically for traffic in those towns.”