Petition to protect Isle of Wight’s Priory Bay

26th March, 2019

A petition urging the Isle of Wight Planning Committee to restrict development of the beach and woodland at Priory Bay has reached more than 6,000 signatures.

Charity Garnett, who started the petition, said: “Priory Bay has been a place of peace and pilgrimage for many people for generations, locals and visitors alike. An undeveloped beach is a rarity anywhere in Southern England, and a draw for tourists to the whole area.”

“For me Priory Bay is very special,” said local resident Perdita Hunt. “It is where I learnt to swim and from where my great aunt used to swim to the Solent fort.”

Aria Resorts’ development plans for Priory Bay Hotel, set to become their fourth resort on the island, were recently approved but not in their entirety. A proposal to build tree houses, identified by campaigners as a potential threat to the local ecosystem, was vetoed.

Charity described this as a “huge victory for the power of people coming together and standing up for what they care about,” but urged people to continue adding their names to the petition. “Our concerns about the wider ecology and density of the development remain,” she said.

Liz Lowe

Sign the ‘Save Priory Bay’ petition here.

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