The UK is famous for its seaside towns, with many boasting iconic landmarks and special places in people’s hearts. The people that call them home are rightly proud of where they live, but many resorts are struggling in the face of the absence of their once thriving tourism and holiday sectors.
Underinvestment has also been damaging, with some coastal communities among the most deprived in the country. Local problems have been recognised, with places like Folkstone regenerated in recent years.
Many local authorities have also sought to inject money into towns, and places like Margate and Ramsgate in Thanet, Kent, being included in the remit of large funds. Sandown on the Isle of Wight has its own challenges, and residents have expressed their worry about its future. They claim it has seen “repeated exclusion from major public funding opportunities”, and a scheme has been founded to address this by Isle of Wight East’s Conservative MP Joe Robertson.
Nearby Ryde was granted £20million from central government in 2023, but recently missed out on “Pride in Place” cash – a £5billion, 10 year initiative to invest in disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Britain.
Mr Robertson claims Sandown has its own unique issues of “dereliction and decline”, County Press reports.
These include many buildings being in a “poor condition”, and the high street needing “urgent attention”.
In addition, locals are worried about anti-social behaviour, low educational outcomes and homes of multiple occupancy HMOs.
A Reddit user posted around a year ago in reply to someone considering a move to the area: “I’d suggest not moving to sandown as it’s literally a ghost town but I’d suggest Shanklin.”
Another person wrote: “I live in Sandown and spend absolutely no time in Sandown unless I’m at home.
“Apart from the beach there’s not a lot to do and there are better places to go.”
They added: “The town really needs investment and regeneration.”
Another account replied: “Sandown makes me feel a little sad when I go to the high street.
“But to be fair it’s got a lovely beach and some great walks, good parks, dinosaur hunting and rock pooling.
“Nice wildlife and nature scene including bat walks, an attempt to introduce beavers, the beautiful Brading Downs, birds of prey, etc.”
A different user was more scathing, writing: “Sandown is, uhh f***** terrible to be honest.
“Half the seafront is abandoned or burnt, the high street has a good pie shop and that’s about it.
“Shanklin is marginally better, but really both are pits.”
An Isle of Wight Council report published in September detailed that the Isle of Wight has high levels of deprivation with 12 areas in the top 20% most deprived in England.
The areas of higher deprivation on the island included urban areas in East Cowes, Newport, Ryde and Ventnor, it added.
More than half the population of the island lived in areas which were in the three deciles of highest deprivation.
Food insecurity on the island is high due to “high levels of deprivation and additionally reduced access to shops for large areas”.
There is also higher levels of social isolation and low internet engagement, officials note. While overall crime is low, the town centres of Newport and Ryde had “much higher rates”. Moreover, there are areas with increased risk of flooding, such as Ryde and Newport.
