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TRUST SHELVES PLAN FOR DRUG AID CENTRE

By Clare Wall - Friday, February 22, 2008
A CHARITY hoping to turn Totland’s Weston Manor into a drug and drink rehabilitation centre has pulled out of its controversial plans.
The Real World Trust’s (RWT) decision comes days after the IW Council told it planning permission was needed after all.
Concern from residents was a central factor behind the decision, according to an IW Council statement this week.
The statement said the RWT and the council recognised the need for the facility so an alternative location was now being sought.
The Grade II listed manor, owned by the Ward family, was used for many years as a care home for adults with disabilities. After its closure the RWT became involved but there was soon controversy when the council gave planning permission for internal alterations in September, without the formal process.
But earlier this month, following pressure from campaigners and a series of public meetings, the council changed its mind and told the RWT it needed formal planning permission for a change of use. It is understood the RWT, which has a team of volunteers maintaining the manor gardens, will not abandon the property immediately, phasing out the work over three months.
Mike Hinton, a resident against the plans, said: “I am delighted the centre will not be opening but I am concerned about what happens to Weston Manor now.
“It is an old building, which needs protecting, and it is held in high regard by the people of Totland.”
Paddy Noctor, of the RWT, said he had met the owners to discuss the withdrawal. “We will sit tight, keep an eye on the place and maintain the gardens. It buys them more time to find a new use,” he said.
“We were still negotiating a 25-year lease and it was felt looking for somewhere else was a better option.
“We are disappointed but we are encouraged by the fact Weston Manor will live on and the community is taking a real interest in its future.”