Nearly three years in the making - a masterplan which could drastically change the face of Newport Harbour could be approved this week.
The draft form of the Newport Harbour Masterplan (NHM) lays out the Isle of Wight Council's ambitious proposals to regenerate the waterfront and surrounding areas and could be accepted as a supplementary planning document, which would aid future planning applications.
Key proposals of the masterplan, which has been in development since February 2018, include a new hotel, multi-storey car park, turning the Riverside Centre into a cultural destination and a footbridge over the River Medina with one of the council’s aims to create new homes and jobs for the Island.
The version of the masterplan being put forward to the council’s cabinet this Thursday, November 12, does still include houses being built on Seaclose Park, however, it is being recommended to councillors they approve the document without that housing in it.
The report recommending the NHM to the cabinet says other potential development sites have been found for the affordable housing.
It was originally thought, including the housing on Seaclose Park, 40 houses and up to 268 flats could be built around the development but now the phases of the development could deliver around 228 residential units.
Consultation on the masterplan earlier this year saw people raising issues of character, cycling access and the harbour’s flood risk.
If the NHM is approved as a supplementary planning document, full planning permission would still be required to start any building works, which would be spread out in three phases over 15 years.
Some of the heavier infrastructure costs will be helped by bringing other areas of the plan forward first — with phase one seeing a potential 149 residential units, 49 being affordable, built first.
Officers warned in the report that the potential to progress is dependent on finances and if the overall number of residential units is not achieved it would impact on the viability and the ability to provide affordable units.
It has previously been said regeneration of the area would be funded by a mixture of private and public investment.
One issue still standing in the way is the determination of a harbour revision order by the Marine and Maritime Organisation which would alter the length of time land in the harbour could be leased, as currently leases stand at a maximum of three years.
By Louise Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
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