Dear supporters,

Yesterday, the whole of the Isle of Wight was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

There are only three in the whole of England (6 others in the UK) so this is great news for our work to persaude Aria resorts and the County Council that Priory Bay is worth saving.

Last month Priory Bay was also included in the new Marine Conservation Zone in East Wight...

However,

even these nationally and internationally significant designations may not be enough to save the beach from development.

10 weeks after the council meeting when the treehouses were rejected the planning notice still hasn't been issued, because they are still negotiating the details of the Section 106 which says how much social and environemental contribution Aria need to make.

Once the notice is issued Aria have six weeks to appeal, and word is they probably will.  So at that point we are going to need to mobilise very quickly to try to save Priory Bay and its woods from development.

We will keep you posted, but with the new designation recognising what a unique place the whole Isle of Wight is, and Priory Bay and adjoining woodland being one of its rarest habitats, we won't give up without a fight.

Thank you for your support, please look out for future updates.

Charity