Isle Of Wight Council Seeking Public Views On New Health Facilities

The Isle of Wight Council wants your views on proposals to help secure financial contributions from developers for health facilities.

The draft Health Contributions Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been prepared in partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB).

It means financial contributions towards new health facilities (excluding dentistry) could be collected from new development.

The draft SPD outlines how the ICB decide what improvements to health infrastructure may be needed in particular areas of the Island.

These improvements would be for infrastructure only, such as new or extended health premises, and not health services, for example, recruiting more GPs.

The document sets out how the ICB will use evidence relating to the following issues to help calculate whether contributions are required:

• The capacity of existing health facilities in an area.
• Current patient list sizes.
• Size and space standards for new health facilities.
• The cost of building new health facilities.

The draft SPD then identifies how the amount of money a developer may have to pay towards these improvements is worked out and also what size of new development may have to pay.

Councillor Paul Fuller, Cabinet member for planning, waste and flooding said:

"One of the main comments we hear from a lot of people is that we don’t have adequate medical facilities such as GP surgeries to support new development.

"This draft document, prepared in partnership with colleagues at the NHS, sets out how and when new development will be expected to pay towards new health facilities.

"I look forward to people sharing their thoughts so we can bring a final SPD back to Cabinet in May, where we can start using the document when making planning decisions."

The consultation will run until Tuesday 2 April 2024 and more information can be found at Supplementary Planning Document consultations (iow.gov.uk)

Comments can be submitted by email to policy.consultation@iow.gov.uk or by post to Planning Services, Seaclose Office, Fairlee Road, Newport, PO30 2QS.

Copies of the draft SPD are available to view at reception at both Seaclose offices and County Hall.