The Isle of Wight Council recently hosted a visit from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) President.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Presidential Visits champion planning across the region. This year's visit to the Southeast welcomed RTPI President Helen Fadipe - accompanied by RTPI Southeast Chair Reece Lemon and regional board member Claire Tester - to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight for two days.

The two-day visit was jointly hosted by two local authorities, Portsmouth City Council and Isle of Wight Council - both 'island' authorities with specific spatial challenges and opportunities - the visit centred the power of planning as a tool for progress.

On Thursday 23 October the team from RTPI, started their Island visit to the Isle of Wight by meeting the Council's Planning Team at their Seaclose Office. A walking tour of Newport Harbour preceded an evening networking event.

Three Oaks, Horsebridge Hill was on the agenda for Friday for a look at the 100% affordable major housing project in Newport. The project is a joint initiative between the Isle of Wight Council, Sovereign Network Group (SNG) and Captiva Homes. Together building homes that suit the needs of local people.

Ollie Boulter, Strategic Manager Planning and Infrastructure for the council said ''We were really pleased to host the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) President and her team. Being able to demonstrate what a wonderful collaborative project Three Oaks is and the benefits it will bring to those needing housing on the Island. I would personally like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making this visit so successful and we continue to look forward and maintain and grow our relationship with partners and the RTPI.''

Iain Delaney, Chief Executive Officer, Captiva Homes Ltd ''Three Oaks is a project that delivers on so many fronts for Islanders.  As well as 145 truly affordable homes, it's being delivered by local companies, which has supported jobs and created apprenticeships, it delivers a play park for the local community and, thanks to cooperation with SNG and the Isle of Wight Council, it's been delivered at pace.  Planning consent was issued in March '24, the first homes are ready for Island families to move in this month.''

Iain continues ''When Captiva first brought this project forward, we set out to prove that local private sector developers could make a real difference to affordable housing delivery on the Island.  The partnership secured with SNG has been instrumental in securing the £30m investment to deliver these homes and cross-function support from the Council & Island Roads has been critical to the timeline being achieved.  Collectively, we are now delivering the largest affordable housing project the Island has seen in decades, and we are proud to be helping make a life changing difference to many Island families.''

Jenny Grote, Assistant Director of New Business (East) at Sovereign Network Group (SNG), comments: “SNG is proud to already manage over 4,000 homes across the Isle of Wight, and we're delighted to be building on that long-standing commitment by working in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and Captiva to bring forward much-needed new homes at Three Oaks. These new homes are built to our Homes and Place Standard, meaning they will be high-quality, energy-efficient and designed to stand the test of time. We're passionate about creating places where people can thrive, and this development will provide affordable homes that are not only fit for today but are also future proofed for generations to come. It's exciting to be part of a shared vision to deliver sustainable housing on the Island, helping to meet local need while supporting a greener future.”

Councillor Warren Drew, Isle of Wight Council Planning Committee Chair, ''Such a visit really brings the decisions of the Planning Committee to life and shows what a difference the decisions we make can have for those on the island. Understanding the impact of our decisions is important to inform our decision-making in the future. It's always fantastic when national bodies take an interest in our Island, so to welcome the RTPI President and team was a great opportunity for us. We know that planning is often an emotive issue, due to the decisions that we make on a daily basis; so, to be able to share our experiences in the national context and to showcase the work that we do was edifying.”

The tour of the Island was concluded with a visit to East Cowes. A walking tour focused on planned improvements to the public realm, the work done on the Victoria Barracks building and how the Isle of Wight Council-led work is complementing private proposals and investment. A particular highlight was visiting Wight Shipyard and the Columbine Building to discuss the ship building industry and the Island's role as a leader in maritime production.

Reece Lemon MRTPI, RTPI Southeast Chair commented on the visit "The RTPI actively seeks to champion plans, projects and people across the regions, and we were thrilled to centre the successes of the Isle of Wight teams on this year's Presidential Visit to the Southeast. The challenges of planning on the Island are numerous, giving rise to a particularly impactful set of study tours demonstrating excellence, enthusiasm and ambition at all levels. We are grateful to the teams, councillors, and developer-agents for taking the time to share their experiences with us."