"Is it still going ahead", people keep asking me about the Pan development in the light of the downturn in the housing market ? A question I keep repeating to IW Council officers, especially after you read about the cutbacks being made by other national housing developers like Barretts and Persimmion—both of whom were interested in Pan before Miller Homes won the bidding round. And the answer is always—'definitely'………………..
However, at the time of writing:
*** the Development Agreement—or contract—between the IW Council and Miller Homes remains as yet to be agreed;
*** the Planning Application will now not be submitted until December/January (it was supposed to be submitted in June/July just gone) and will be considered by the Planning Committee in April 2009, not this November;
*** and the works will not commence until September 2009 at the earliest, instead of April 1st 2009.
And even when it does go ahead we are still not getting the 30% affordable housing that we were promised at the beginning and which we really need on the Island. Currently more like 25%…….though IW Council officers are assuring me they are seeking more funding to increase this.
So yes, I suppose it is still going ahead. Sort of....
6 comments:
With no prospect of the developer selling the 75 - 80% non affordable housing this development is very much on the back burner. Don't hold your breath folks! The housing market is dead and new stock is just not selling.
Geoff, this is just another Tory cockup. The Undercliff, the Ryde Interchange and now Pan. Don't forget the ring road! The can't deliver anything. The Boy Wonder couldn't organise a P*** Up in you know where!
Anyone who bought property in this area would be certifiable anyway. It has all the makings of a ghetto within a ghetto, with huge social problems in the future. Not only does it rip the green lung out of the centre of Pan, the development will do next to nothing for the homeless. Relying on private developers to let social housing have the crumbs on the table is corrupting and also inefficient. Houses would be hard to sell here in a good market. They'll be murder to shift in the moribund market of today. But just as well, frankly. This development has the stench of short, medium and long term disaster about it.
Harsh but true Mr Jones. If we want social housing then government must plan for social housing and pay for social housing.
That won't happen unless we get another Labour government. Unfortunately we haven't had one of them for many years and at the moment it doesn't look like we will ever have one again.
Undercliff Drive was the last lot, Liberals! This lot just spent a fortune investigating!
Undercliff Drive - You will believe anything. It was a way of getting rid of those senior officers who couldn't be bought-off into retirement.
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