Protesters oppose housing in Freshwater

Around 40 people braved the elements on Sunday, to protest against a proposed 60-home and large retail space in Freshwater.

Residents and environmental campaigners have raised concerns that the development, at Heathfield Farm campsite, would cause irreversible environmental loss within the Isle of Wight’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

They claim the site currently operates as a conservation camp site, supporting wildlife, green infrastructure, and low-impact tourism. For many consecutive years it won the David Bellamy Gold Award for its commitment to conservation and is home to many protected species.

The campsite operators have spent years planting indigenous trees and shrubs across the site and a large wildflower meadow supports insects and plant diversity.

One campaigner said: “You cannot claim to champion Biosphere principles while approving development which destroys a functioning conservation site. This land already delivers exactly the kind of sustainable, nature-positive use the Biosphere designation is meant to protect, including habitats for protected species – red squirrels, badgers, bats, barn owls, and slow worms.”

Freshwater Parish Council has objected to the loss of an active campsite and wildflower meadow, highlighting the value of the existing Heathfield Farm campsite and associated landscape. They also cited considerable concerns over pollution and nitrate run-off to the neighbouring SSSI (Site of Specific Scientific Interest) and SPA (Special Protection Area) at Colwell Bay, as well as exacerbating the active landslip at Brambles Chine.

A campaign spokesman said: “Once this land is built on, it’s lost forever. No amount of landscaping around new housing can replace an established conservation campsite with its existing habitats, carbon storage, and ecological value.”

The Isle of Wight Council, in its capacity as Lead Local Flood Authority has asked for further details on the proposals for surface water drainage.

Campaigners are calling on the Isle of Wight Council to refuse the application (24/0993/OUT).