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5 days ago | 
iwobserver.co.uk | Rufus Pickles |Carole Dennett
A former betting shop could be transformed into a retail store. A change of use application has been submitted to turn a vacant unit at 55 High Street in Sandown, formerly home to a branch of Ladbrokes, into a ‘food and vegetable’ shop. A submitted Planning Statement said the proposal would result in an ‘increase in retail employment for the benefit of the local community’, offering a ‘wide range of products to serve the Sandown area’.
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5 days ago | 
onthewight.com | Rufus Pickles
Islanders have been urged to demand an end to sewage pollution at a ‘Paddle Out Protest’ on an Isle of Wight beach. As part of a national day of action to put pressure on the government, water companies and regulators, Surfers Against Sewage will be holding a demonstration at Ryde’s Appley Beach on 17th May 2025. Call for an end the nation’s ‘sewage scandal’A briefing from the marine conservation group says the protests are part of ‘vital ongoing campaigning’ to end the nation’s ‘sewage scandal’.
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6 days ago | 
islandecho.co.uk | Darren Toogood |Rufus Pickles
A fresh phase of restoration has been proposed for Sandown Town Hall, with the Isle of Wight Council seeking Listed Building Consent for a series of external works at the historic site. The Grade II-listed building on Grafton Street could soon benefit from repairs and improvements to the front, rear and side areas, as part of ongoing efforts to breathe new life into the 150-year-old former municipal building.
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1 week ago | 
countypress.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
St Mary's Hospital (Image: IWCP) A public-sector union has fired a further warning shot over the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s ‘workforce reduction’ plans at St Mary’s Hospital. UNISON said the trust’s intentions centre around a "planned recruitment freeze" – something it added "could affect the ability of nurses, doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs".
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1 week ago | 
iwradio.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
An Isle of Wight tenant has expressed outrage over a proposed house conversion that would ‘render’ her ‘homeless’ along with her extended family. Enya Dunn-Green condemned Martha James of Plan Research’s planning application to convert two existing flats within Hurstleigh – a house with a ‘substantial garden’ on The Broadway, Totland,As a resident of the property, she slammed it as an action that would ‘ruin’ an ‘intimate community’ built over five generations.
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1 week ago | 
countypress.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
West Acre Park (Image: IWCP) The Isle of Wight Council has said the Court of Appeal gave a "very welcome clarification" that its planning committee "lawfully resolved" to grant the West Acre Park development consent. County Hall issued a statement after the second highest court in the land judged planning permission for the 473-home development on Westridge Farm in Ryde to be ‘unlawful’.
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1 week ago | 
islandecho.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
Planners have revealed why they turned down a major planning application for 27 houses near Freshwater. County Hall refused Colwell Bay View Ltd’s outline application for housing with a vehicle access on agricultural land off Freshwater’s Colwell Road on 7 grounds. They relate to the environment, ‘inadequate’ submitted information, affordable housing and health care infrastructure.
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1 week ago | 
countypress.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
West Acre Park/Cllr Geoff Brodie (Image: IWCP) A former vice-chair of the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee says he is “delighted” to be cleared of an “entirely false allegation of bias” over the West Acre Park development. Following the Court of Appeal’s judgement that County Hall’s permission for 473 houses at Westridge Farm in Ryde is ‘unlawful’, Councillor Geoff Brodie pointed to similarities between the latest ruling and Judge Jarman’s decision last August.
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1 week ago | 
islandecho.co.uk | Darren Toogood |Rufus Pickles
A former betting shop in Sandown is being transformed into a new international food shop with a focus on fruit and veg. Mr P Sivarasa has submitted a change of use application to turn a vacant unit at 55 High Street in Sandown, formerly home to a branch of Ladbrokes, into a new retail shop. Officially, the application submitted to the Isle of Wight Council states it will be a fruit and veg shop, but locals are being told that the shop will offer international food from around the world.
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1 week ago | 
iwradio.co.uk | Rufus Pickles
An Island MP has said “no front-line roles” will be cut at St Mary’s Hospital after meeting with unions and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Richard Quigley, Labour MP for Isle of Wight West, spoke out following news that around ten per cent of whole time equivalent (WTE) jobs within the Trust are at risk as part of ‘cost improvement plans’. The health care provider said ‘workforce reduction’ was a ‘key aspect’ of its operating plan for 2025/26 in its March board papers.
