By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Council is heading back to court over the controversial West Acre Park development, after Greenfields (IOW) Ltd filed a fresh judicial review challenge against the latest planning permission for 472 homes on Westridge farmland.
The company, formed by residents of Ryde Appley and Elmfield, has been fighting the scheme for several years. They argue the land is an ancient agricultural and ecological corridor that has remained unchanged for more than a thousand years, forming the last green link from the sea to the inner Island and helping protect the sensitive Ryde and Appley Sands.
Greenfields says it supports new housing on the Island, but only where decisions are made lawfully and fairly. Residents say they have spent more than a decade raising concerns about sewage capacity, environmental impact, and the lack of road infrastructure to support such a large development.
This is the second time the Council’s decision has been taken to court. The first permission, granted in 2023, was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2025 after judges ruled the Council had acted unlawfully by failing to publish key information about highways funding. Following that ruling, the planning committee approved a revised application on September 30, 2025, and consent was issued on December 22.
Greenfields argues the Council has again acted unlawfully, focusing particularly on highways arrangements. The new claim says the Council has failed to show how the £1 1/2 million highways contribution was calculated, and that the funding does not cover the land acquisition and full costs needed to upgrade two key junctions, leaving council tax payers to foot the bill.
Cllr Michael Lilley, who represents Ryde Appley & Elmfield, said concerns about road capacity have been raised repeatedly. “You have the largest housing development on the Island in an area of increasing traffic, without a proper road infrastructure planned or the money to pay for it,” he said. He also raised concerns about the costs of a new sewage pipe from the site to Appley pumping station. “There are no plans for this or any costs and details of who would pay,” he added.
The IW Council has already spent around £150,000 excluding the cost of officer time on the previous legal case which they lost. A spokesman said: “The Council on Tuesday received notification from Greenfields (IOW) Ltd that a claim has been made against the Council. It will now need to carefully consider the claim and what its response will be.”
