Councillor Wayne Whittle

Councillor Wayne Whittle – Ryde North East Ward

I was pleased to see our local flood works finally completed and signed off in 2019, it took 10 years of flood group meetings but we succeeded. I'm sure that without the outfall pipe diversion into the Harbour, Simon Street recreation ground flood wall provided by the Environment Agency, and attenuation tank in the Memorial Gardens from Southern Water, we would have experienced local floods this winter.

After years of requests and meetings for Resident Permit Parking and limited Parking zones, we finally had the right parking strategy and policy in place to provide local votes in streets that requested zones, some failed due to a less than 50% response, but North Monkton Street qualified.

I still attend and support the Ryde Arena Group meetings, continuing to try to bring ice skating back to the Island. The group’s now focussed on a new indoor Arena at Smallbrook Stadium.

I’ve continued to encourage more and diverse events on the Island, in 2019 projects were Sail GP & Great Wonder Fest.

This coming year will see the Sandown time trials, with Sail GP returning, also working on the Tour of Britain’s last leg ending on the Island in September 2021.

I’m still negotiating acquisitions of Venture Quays and Camp Hill.

The Newport Harbour Master Plan is now published, and we seek development partners.

Working with Historic England to bring forward the now funded Ryde & Newport High Street Action Zones, whilst encouraging more Island towns to make place plans.

My challenge this year is to continue to make more better-paid, all year round jobs, to get Government financial support to help make our business cases viable so IWC housing company can provide affordable homes for local families and key workers, as an attempt to balance our population and grow our economy.

Wayne Whittle

March 2020