South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

East Cowes Plans Welcomed

30th November 2005

Plans to transform the town of East Cowes on the Isle of Wight into a vibrant and flourishing community went on display last week at a two day public exhibition. Over 500 people visited the East Cowes Town Hall to meet with those delivering the scheme - the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and national regeneration agency English Partnerships - and saw first hand a model and fly-through animated video of the development. The proposals for East Cowes include: new housing; employment; hotels; shops; bars; restaurants; community facilities; and a maritime heritage experience.

The masterplan for the area has been developed as a result of much investigation, preparation planning and public consultation, and as at earlier events, the community and key stakeholders were keen to find out more about the future of the town.

Photograph: A model of the proposed development was showcased at the public exhibition.

Residents have previously been consulted on their education, health, sports and community facility requirements and a study into existing provision for the area has been undertaken. The responses from the community along with results of the study have been given to the Isle of Wight Council for review. An evaluation of these requirements for viability and funding will be undertaken so that priorities can be set for delivery.

As well as the many exciting and new opportunities presented by the development, visitors to the exhibition were also interested in proposals for a marina at East Cowes, outlined by the Cowes Harbour Commission at its recent public meeting.

SEEDA's Development Projects Director, Peter Cusdin commented: "SEEDA supports the principle of a new marina at East Cowes and recognises the regenerative and economic benefits that this could provide the town. But, to realise these plans, there is a lot of work that would need to be done. It could take some 18 months of technical work to develop and test the practicality and viability of a scheme. We are keen to work with the Cowes Harbour Commission to investigate how the East Cowes Project could best support the delivery of a successful marina."

As well as residents, many local businesses visited the exhibition to find out about future opportunities in the town and on the waterfront. A great deal of interest has already been shown in the 10,500* sq m of marine related employment space set aside at the Venture Quays site. The strategy for this area is to develop a cluster of marine industry businesses that can make best use of the waterfront access. By attracting new companies and supporting expansion, the East Cowes Project will create skilled job opportunities for local people and boost the Island's economy.

Marking the next stage in the town's regeneration, the outline planning application for the development is to be submitted to the Isle of Wight Council before Christmas.

The East Cowes Project is the flagship regeneration project of the Cowes Waterfront Initiative which aims to attract investment, create jobs and bring new facilities to Cowes, East Cowes and Newport Harbour. The partners in this initiative are SEEDA, English Partnerships, the Isle of Wight Council and the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership.

For more information about the Cowes Waterfront initiative visit the website www.coweswaterfront.co.uk