Abandoned Isle of Wight prison house land could be developed

The Firs, on Postern Road in Parkhurst, is directly opposite the now-empty Camp Hill prison and was thought to be the home of the chief medical officer.

Now, Waterlooville-based Colwell Bay Developments are seeking permission to build nine three-bedroom houses.

Planning agents on behalf of the developers, Nova Architectural, said the current building has no particular architectural merit.

Since 2018, the site has been subject to multiple planning applications — and undergone clearance works to make it ready for development.

The Isle of Wight Council refused plans in 2018 for 11 houses on the site and again in May 2019 for six houses.

The 2019 refusal, however, was overturned by the government's Planning Inspectorate six months later and outline permission was granted.

The proposed houses would all be two storeys in height but five would also have attic rooms.

In planning documents, the agents say the houses are broadly in line with existing properties in the surrounding areas and are not over-dominant in their scale and mass.

A large percentage of grassland has been retained, it says, to ensure the site does not appear overdeveloped.

A cul-de-sac would be built behind the first row of properties to access the other houses, 'making the most efficient use of the site'.

You can view the plans, 22/02287/FUL, on the Isle of Wight Council's planning register. Comments can be submitted until March 3.

The proposed site layout. (Image: Nova Architecture)