AROUND 1,800 Islanders took the opportunity to have their say on the Island’s planning blueprint.

Plans to build almost 10,000 homes on the Island, outlined in the draft Island Planning Strategy, was put to a 12-week consultation with the public. The consultation period has now closed.

The strategy sets out the proposed approach towards housing, employment, transport, commercial and leisure land use on the IW in the future.

During the consultation, the IW Council received 3,736 comments — of these, around 1,400 related to housing, either the overall housing number or the proposed allocation sites.

Cllr Barry Abraham, cabinet member for planning and housing, said: “It is clear there are strong feelings around how we plan for housing on the Island.

“We will need to think carefully how we balance this within the context of national planning policy and relevant legislation.”

The document is meant to reflect the needs of Island people, particularly housing, and draws from a range of evidence from bodies such the Office for National Statistics.

The consultation responses will help officers finalise a plan that complies with national requirements and reflects the views of the Island's communities.

There will be further opportunities for people to comment on the draft strategy later in the process.

Cllr Abraham said: “We must make sure the plan is current and relevant to the short and long-term future and reflects the needs of people living on the Island.

“It’s important because the plan will be the starting point for assessing the merits of individual planning applications.

“The council will be undertaking further work to understand what the real level of need is, and some of the practical difficulties building new housing that is impacting on rates of delivery.

“In particular, there is further work taking place to ensure we plan for the right housing in the right places on the Island.”

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