Isle of Wight residents will continue their determined battle to protect one of Ryde's last farms from being lost to a major housing development.

Greenfield (IoW) Ltd, a group formed by the Elmfield community, has been campaigning for years to preserve Westridge Farm, a 200-year-old site, which is at the centre of a dispute over plans to build 472 houses on the farmland.

On Friday (September 13), Greenfield (IoW) Ltd filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal, challenging the decision made in July by Judge Jarman in the Administrative Court.

While the July ruling largely favoured the IW Council, it also found that the IW Council acted ‘unlawfully on two of the five claims’ brought forward by Greenfield (IoW) Ltd.

Westridge Farm in RydeWestridge Farm in Ryde (Image: Contributed) The decision cleared the way for the housing project to proceed, with the residents believing the overall ruling to be ‘unfair’, vowing to take their fight to the higher courts.

A Greenfield representative said: “Whilst we too want closure on this case, we have yet to see a judgment which we and our legal team believe makes judicial sense based on the evidence presented at court last July. 

“Accordingly, we must pursue this matter with the superior courts until we do see that. When we do, we will stop. Not before."

The land at Westridge Farm serves as a habitat for endangered species such as curlews, bats, swallows, dormice and migrating birds.

The farm’s proximity to the coastline makes it vital for flood protection and preserving the area’s natural defences against climate change, a point emphasised by Cllr Michael Lilley, the representative for Ryde Appley and Elmfield.

“I have supported the Save Westridge Farm Campaign for over eight years,” Cllr Lilley said. 

“The land in question is not suitable for housing as there is inadequate and undeliverable road infrastructure needed for such a development. 

“Now, climate change has emphasised the need to preserve green fields near the coastline to prevent flooding and landslips.”

The IW Council admitted to making unlawful decisions regarding the farm’s development, a fact acknowledged in the July trial.

Cllr Lilley continued, praising the residents for their long-standing commitment to preserving the farmland. 

“Residents have been real climate change environmental and nature warriors in fighting to preserve the heritage of this farmland and the injustice my community has experienced through unlawful decisions by IW Council’s planning process.

“This has always been a David and Goliath case.

"And David is not lying down – he is fighting back for future generations.”