Welcome for Council’s call to save Island Landmarks

The Isle of Wight Council has been congratulated on moves to protect more landmark buildings – such as Columbine Yard – from demolition or destruction.  Officers have announced plans to compile a ‘local list’ of buildings that are worth conserving for future generations.  They are asking Islanders to nominate their favourite buildings, which will be considered by a review panel in January 2007.  The list will supplement the existing English Heritage listings.

Island MP Andrew Turner said,
“This is an excellent move by the Council.  Many buildings contribute to the distinctive character of an area and the demolition of landmark buildings means the Island losing a bit of its history, which can never be restored.   And buildings do not have to be worthy of English Heritage listing, or in a big enough area to designate as a Conservation Area, to be worth protecting.

“Examples of buildings we have lost in the last two years include

• the Clarendon in Shanklin (which was reputed to have included the oak beams from the Clarendon,  wrecked off Blackgang in October 1836),
• Mornington in Cowes (Grade 2 listed, then delisted and demolished over a weekend while the Council was considering including it in a Conservation Area), and
• the Empress of the Sea (formerly the Bungalow) Hotel  in Shanklin (a building in characteristic Victorian ‘cottage orné’ style).

“These were all buildings which contributed to the special character of the Island’s  towns, and I was truly saddened to see them demolished.  Two of them had been approved for demolition by the previous Council, and one we should have been able to keep.

“And there are others which we are in danger of losing in the near future, most significantly the Union Jack at Columbine Yard which occupies an iconic position overlooking Cowes Harbour, yet which is threatened with demolition by SEEDA.  How crazy to demolish, as they propose, such a significant part of the Island’s maritime heritage to build a maritime heritage museum!  I will be nominating the Union Jack frontage at Columbine Yard for the local list.

“I fully support the construction of quality new buildings which have a practical purpose and offer aesthetic improvements to the Island, but the local list initiative means that these buildings can still be built without destroying landmark buildings that are so important to the Island’s unique environment and history.”