We, the undersigned, urge the Isle of Wight Council to refuse the Red Funnel plan to develop the East Cowes waterfront.

East Cowes Community Forum would like your support to oppose Red Funnel's planning application described as "A better gateway for the island" regarding the regeneration of East Cowes waterfront.

Further information about this plan can be found at www.bitly.com/eastcowesplan

or

https://www.iwight.com/planning/AppDetails3.aspx?frmId=30182

We stand to be displaced by this plan, probably taking jobs off the island. We are however fully in favour of improved ferry facilities and services in East Cowes. BUT we would like to see this done in a manner that would assure the town has a solid economic future via the preservation of existing jobs rather than the promise of a potential employment opportunity that might come in the form of a hotel on Trinity Quay.

The Red Funnel Detailed Planning Application will:

• DISPLACE families and businesses from Dover Road leaving them financially vulnerable
• DAMAGE & DISPLACE  200+ existing high skilled jobs from EXPANDING SME’s (potentially off Island)
• ERADICATE future employment and economic potential of the Venture Quays Tier 1 Waterfront site
• REMOVE  access to DEEP WATER for displaced businesses that require the facility
• NOT PROVIDE NEW JOBS NOT IMPROVE THE ISLAND'S ECONOMY
• NOT INCREASE TOURISM NOT DELIVER ON THE VISION OF THE SEEDA MASTERPLAN 2007 

The Outline planning application:  

• MIGHT provide a Hotel (there are already 3 planned in and around East Cowes)
• MIGHT provide up to 200 jobs (low paid low skilled in hotel/retail)
• WILL  provide 100+ houses (probably luxury flats and town houses) The reality is that it could ALL be RESIDENTIAL  

 

This is not a regeneration program but a relocation plan.

We would like to see an alternative plan that will ensure that the town has a solid economic foundation and maximize the employability potential and security of this key waterfront assets for future generations.

This plan conflicts with the established Solent LEP Strategy for East Cowes. The current proposal for East Cowes, by Red Funnel, as part of the Solent Gateways Project will damage innovative SMEs and the long term economy of the Isle of Wight. It will not increase tourism and won’t help true inward investment into the island. 

This appears to be in direct conflict with Solent LEPs high level objectives to:

1. Unlock innovation led growth
2. Unlock critical employment sites
3. Support SME's

There are many issues around this plan that affect many people. The most high profile of which is the potential use of Compulsory Purchase Order powers on the properties of Dover Road. Many of these are explored and discussed on the Save Venture Quays & Dover Road Facebook group, please join us to stay updated with the latest news and progress.

As well as signing this petition please read the Red Funnel planning application and make a comment if you feel able. We would like this application to be refused by the IoW council, so alternative options can be tabled and discussed hopefully making sense for all of the stakeholders of the proposed sites, and of greater benefit to the East Cowes community and the Island as a whole.

Jason Hayman, the Managing Director of one of the companies on the Venture Quays site, has kindly allowed us to reproduce his letter written in response to the open letter published by Kevin George, CEO of Red Funnel, in leaflet distributed last week. 

" Please be honest about Red Funnel’s ‘Once in a lifetime opportunity’ in East Cowes

Mr George,

Here at Sustainable Marine Energy we are big fans of Red Funnel’s ferry service which we utilise on a daily basis. We are very keen to see a new terminal facility developed in East Cowes, and even more we want to see East Cowes properly regenerated in a manner which assures the town has a solid economic future. Unfortunately your proposed ‘better gateway for the island’ does not meet these criteria. It puts well paid and highly skilled jobs at risk and will potentially have an adverse impact on the island’s economy.

Having read your letter and flyer which was circulated to residents and businesses, I am very concerned that you are asking the public to support your planning application without providing them with all of the facts. Some of the information provided could easily be considered to be misleading.

I agree that the scheme you are proposing is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’, but only for Red Funnel and its shareholders, not for the community. It is very rare for a private company to be offered extremely valuable, prime waterfront land by a government agency, be offered a loan from a public funding body to purchase the land, and then be allowed to package up a significant portion of the public land acquired using tax payers’ funds, along with land that you already own and offer it to property developers as a ‘shovel ready’ project including outline planning permission for the building of flats and a ‘hotel’. I am sure this will make a very tidy profit that more than pays for your new terminal. What business wouldn’t absolutely jump at such an opportunity?

One could see the merits of such a scheme if the land involved was derelict and wasn’t providing economic value to the island. This was potentially seen as the case when the scheme was first sketched out. Fortunately marine technology businesses on the Isle of Wight have enjoyed a renaissance and now businesses such as ourselves, and our neighbours AMC and Shemara Refit, are all flat out building vessels and marine equipment, including your new RedJet 6. Both the Venture Quays and Trinity Wharf sites are busier than at any time in recent history, with over 200 people working across the two sites which are to be demolished under your plan.

Your flier draws attention to the fact that the Columbine building will stay under your plan. However this is not a certainty with the Victoria Quay marina development plans, and the breaking up of the Venture Quays marine cluster brings us a step closer to the demolition and or loss of the whole site.

You are quite correct that we were only signed short term leases with the HCA when we moved to the Island. We had no choice; that was all that we were offered. Your statement that the rents are low is not accurate – we are paying market rates, and in light of your application, we have done our research and could secure premises on the mainland for substantially less than we are currently paying at Venture Quays. What we were told when we moved to the Island was that substantial public investment was made by SEEDA into the facilities to attract businesses like ours, that the masterplan that had been developed for East Cowes back in 2006 was being reviewed, and that the HCA had invested further tax payers’ money to ensure the buildings were fit for use as individual units for businesses such as ours. Well – it has all worked - the facilities are excellent, there is plenty of life left in the buildings, and clearly there is a very high level of demand, as they are all occupied again, and are providing amazing, highly-skilled, employment opportunities for IOW residents!

It wouldn’t be very hard or expensive to upgrade or expand the facilities, and provide even more opportunities for companies like ours and create more job opportunities and a better economy for the island. Something that I would have thought would also create immense benefit for your company due to the proximity of your service!

When your plans were revealed, which represent a substantial departure from the original East Cowes Master Plan, we were shocked that there were absolutely no considerations being made for marine businesses requiring access to the water. This is why we immediately contacted yourselves, the HCA and the IOW Council to try and initiate a dialogue about changing the scheme to include accommodation for a marine technology cluster. You have refused to enter into any meaningful discussion about alternative options or schemes with us, and now it appears that you are just going to try to resort to large company PR to ensure that you get your planning application approved. I imagine you were fairly surprised at the amount of resistance and objections raised by local residents and businesses in response to the application.

So if you are going to go out to the public and ask them for their support for your scheme, please be open and honest with them, and tell them that you are asking them to choose between a new terminal and more second homes for the island which entails the loss of two valuable waterfront employment sites, or the prospect of jobs for them and future generations of islanders.

Ultimately it will be the IOW Council that has to make the decision, and I’m sure they will listen to their constituents. If they choose to approve your planning application, then we will respect that and will of course find alternative accommodation – it just might not be on the Isle of Wight, as no similar facilities of this type currently exist. Those alternatives you speak of are in the pre planning stage and are likely to not suit our needs.

What we really hope is that we can engage in a meaningful dialogue with yourselves, the HCA, IOW Council, local residents and businesses about a real regeneration plan for East Cowes that will deliver new terminal facilities and also increase the employment footprint to provide East Cowes and the Isle of Wight with a bright economic future that we can all benefit from as a community.

As always my door is open should you wish to discuss how this could be achieved? I’m also sure that the public would love to hear your views on this first-hand. It would be quite easy to arrange a public meeting in East Cowes where we could invite local residents, business owners, and local politicians to attend and discuss this in an open forum. Mr George are you were willing to do so?

I sincerely hope you will join us in figuring out how to make this a true ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ for the local community and your customers, to ensure everybody wins from the re-development of the East Cowes waterfront. Instead of the current plan which just serves your own interests.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Hayman

Managing Director,

Sustainable Marine Energy Ltd "

To oppose the plan, you can choose from the following options:

• Add your comment below
• Leave a comment on the council's planning page: bitly.com/eastcowesplans
• Post a letter of opposition, quoting the full planning application number: TCP/32391, P/01065/15 to: Isle of Wight Council, Seaclose Offices, Fairlee Road, Newport, Isle of Wight. PO30 2QS

If you would like more information please contact the East Cowes Community Forum on eastcowescommunityforum@gmail.com