HOUSING targets for the Isle of Wight are based on flawed statistics and methodology, independent research has found.

The research, commission by the Isle of Wight branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, found the draft Island Plan’s 10,125 target is flawed.

The report further suggests the planned development would not only destroy hundreds of acres of Island countryside, but also drive further demographic imbalance while failing to serve the

needs of Islanders young or old.

It said outdated population forecasts were used, the plan’s projections assumed a too high vacancy rate on new dwelling constructions leading to an over-estimation of additional housing need, and net migration was the only driver of population increase forecasted in the plan.

It states the new housing is not planned for Islanders, but to satisfy the desire of people to move to the Island, often to retire.

It found affordability as justification for increasing house supply is misplaced, as migration within the UK is adding to the ageing of the Isle of Wight by taking away the younger working population and adding to the older age groups.

However 11 out of the top 15 local authorities to which people are migrating are less affordable than the Island, which suggests housing affordability is not the primary reason for young people leaving.

It found there are other exceptional circumstances that may limit the deliverability of housing, including fixed Island infrastructure such as transport networks, fixed utility infrastructure and fixed cross-Solent transport links.

The Isle of Wight CPRE supports the Isle of Wight Council’s intention to challenge the government-driven housing targets and conduct its own evidence-based assessment of real local housing need.

It calls on the council to put forward a case for exceptional circumstances to de-couple the Island’s housing strategy from the standard methodology for assessing housing need, and to local need, not external demand, at the centre of its revised strategy.

It also calls on government to honour its commitment to the Island via an Island Deal.

Commenting on the report, Ian Wellby, Isle of Wight CPRE trustee said: "This report lays bare the fact that the draft Island Plan, driven by national housing targets, suggests greenfield building on an unprecedented scale — not for Islanders but to serve those wanting to move here.

"Concreting over our countryside will fail to serve the needs of Islanders young and old.

"It shows we are already a very imbalanced demographic on the Island, and if we are building thousands of homes for retirees to move here, the situation will only get worse, placing significant strain on our already stretched social services.

"This is a highly undesirable projection and requires policy intervention."

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