Housing scheme approved despite Westridge Farm campaign

Houses have already been built alongside the farm

More than 470 homes are to be built on the site of a dairy farm on the Isle of Wight, despite a campaign by its tenant farmers.

Developer Captiva Homes was granted planning permission for the scheme at Westridge Farm near Ryde.

The farm's tenants, who had mounted a social media campaign against the development, said they would "lose our homes and our livelihood".

Captiva said the houses were "much-needed" on the island.

Planning permission was granted after a three-hour debate by Isle of Wight Council's planning committee.

Passionate pleas came from Amy Holliday, the wife of tenant farmer Nigel and current occupant of Westridge Farm, to save the green fields they have farmed for the past 55 years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Hollidays, as tenant farmers, have permission to farm the land for three generations and their nine-year-old son, Archie, is next in line to take it on.

More than 5,000 people signed an online petition against the development after the family took to social media.

Mrs Holliday told the meeting: "We wish to keep farming. We will lose our homes and our livelihood … this would close the farm forever."

The Holliday family had recently got the support of the Plunkett Foundation to create a community farm, with mentoring from a successful community farm in Shropshire.

James Pink, director of Captiva Homes, said the scheme would "set a new benchmark for housing" on the island.

"This decision enables us to achieve that goal, securing £100m of investment, protecting 80 local jobs and allowing us to deliver 473 desperately-needed homes - including 166 affordable homes.

"As Islanders ourselves, we recognise and embrace the responsibility that comes with our role," he added