A Ryde farmhouse plagued by trespassers and vandals could be demolished.
Smallbrook Developments Limited has applied to the Isle of Wight Council for planning permission to demolish the Prestwood Grange Farmhouse off Smallbrook Lane due to the recent trouble.
The structure would be ‘dismantled by hand and machinery’, an application form to the council said.
Materials from the farmhouse would be taken to a salvage yard or waste site following the proposed work, with the site being left as hard standing.
At a Ryde Town Council Community Planning Meeting on Tuesday, councillors believed the demolition was not appropriate and the structure could be brought back into use.
Those attending agreed the authority’s community planning officer, Chris Turvey, would ‘investigate’ any ‘possible material grounds’ for recommending refusal.
If no grounds exist, Ryde Town Council will not object but instead ask that the building, said to sit on land identified for ‘major housing development’, is not demolished until an expected Pennyfeathers housing development application is made.
A letter detailing bat surveys on the farmhouse from a senior ecologist at ecology consultancy RSK Biocensus was published by County Hall on November 15.
All bat species and their roosts have legal protections.
It is a criminal offence to deliberately disturb a bat or destroy a breeding place or resting site, according to the Bat Conservation Trust.
The document said:
“A Preliminary Roost Assessment was completed on June 13, 2024. No internal inspection took place on the farmhouse due to access restrictions.
“From the external assessment, the farmhouse supported Potential Roosting Features which comprised of broken roof tiles caused by recent vandalism and was assessed as providing ‘low suitability for roosting bat, under the latest survey guidelines.
“Following on from the June survey, the farmhouse was subject to further vandalism, with additional tiles being broken and windows being smashed, allowing access into the internal spaces.
“Although it is unlikely that bats would be present with the level of vandalism and disturbance, the farmhouse was reassessed as having ‘moderate’ suitability and it was recommended a second survey take place to provide a robust assessment of whether bats are present.”
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