By Isle of Wight Observer
Reform UK deputy leader, Richard Tice, has pledged to apply pressure on developers and other organisations involved in the long-running issues affecting residents at Pan Meadows.
During a visit to the estate, Mr Tice met Jessica Brown of the Pan Residents Association and local councillors to discuss repeated heating outages, concerns over the biomass energy system, flooding, and delays in adopting roads and drainage infrastructure.
Mr Tice said the recurring breakdowns were a serious concern for residents, particularly vulnerable people reliant on the estate’s communal heating network.
“Heat networks can work very well if they’re installed and maintained properly,” he said. “But if they aren’t, they can become a nightmare for residents. The key issue is getting a grip on what’s gone wrong and ensuring it is put right.” He praised Pan and Barton councillor, Martin Bower, for his work on the issues, and thanked him for bringing them to his attention. He said he was happy to get involved if it could help sort things out for residents.
Mrs Brown told Mr Tice that poor communication had compounded frustrations, with many left without clear information during outages. She said households had sometimes been left without heating or hot water for extended periods.
“We’re not told what’s going on,” she said. “When there are breakdowns, people want answers and they want to know when services will be restored. There are vulnerable residents here and that’s not acceptable.”
Questions were also raised about the sourcing and long-term cost of the biomass fuel, as well as the effectiveness of backup systems during major outages.
Alongside heating concerns, Cllr Bower highlighted repeated flooding incidents on the estate. Mr Tice described flooding on a modern development as “inexcusable” and said it suggested problems with design, installation or maintenance.
He called for developers, the council, highways officers, and other agencies to meet and identify the barriers preventing solutions.
After the meeting, Mrs Brown welcomed Mr Tice’s involvement, describing him as “very helpful and understanding” and willing to help residents secure answers and progress on long-standing issues.