By Isle of Wight Observer
Dear Editor,
I have mixed feelings about the government’s housebuilding plans for our Island and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the affordable properties will be allocated to our young people, enabling them to stay on the Island close to their families. The children of these young people will increase school funding by filling vacant school places on the Island.
My daughter and her husband were very sad to leave the Island due to the shortage and cost of affordable rental properties. They now have a baby and are paying more than half of my daughter’s wages on nursery fees so that she can work to help pay the rent and bills. The family is homesick and desperate to return from the mainland to the Island, where they would have the support of all their family and four grandparents willing to provide free childcare. I am aware that many very sad Island families have been split up due to housing issues. Helping these young families is fraught with difficulties as crossing the Solent is expensive, time consuming and services are unreliable.
I am concerned that the government’s housing plans are too ambitious and believe that the number of properties that they propose to build is far too high for our present infrastructure and services. Perhaps the government intends to turn our little Island into a ‘mini metropolis’ complete with high-rise buildings, dual carriageways and new infrastructure. I guess we will just wait and see.
Rita Woodcock, Carisbrooke