Plan submitted for regional sewage treatment works

The plans would see the construction of a facility near Peel Power Station

Plans have been formally submitted for a sewage treatment works to be built in the west of the Isle of Man.

Manx Utilities (MU) aims to construct the new facility on land west of Glenfaba Road, near to Peel Power Station.

The government-owned provider purchased three fields, which are currently agricultural land, to build on as part of a £40m regional treatment project.

Peel is one of two regions in the island where raw sewage is pumped into the sea due to a lack of a dedicated sewage treatment facility.

Plans were initially due to be submitted in November, with Peel Commissioners expressing concern over the impact of delays in the project.

A previous plan to use land on Glenfaba Road, just outside Peel, was withdrawn in 2020 after local objections.

'Demonstrable support'

In its application, MU said the facility was "key" to meeting "environmental objectives and water quality targets".

The government-owned utilities provider said Peel beach was one of the most popular on the island, but had consistently failed to achieve good water bathing quality standards each year.

The application said although it was not currently considered a bathing beach by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, it was used publicly.

But the application accepted the project would have a "slight adverse effect" on the town's conservation area in the construction and operational phases.

While some grassland would be permanently lost in the facility's construction, MU said new native trees would be planted along the perimeters.

A Manx sod hedgerow would be relocated and the existing hedgerow would be "bolstered", in efforts to maintain and improve biodiversity.

MU said there was "significant and demonstrable support at an overarching national level" for the proposed development, which was "instrumental in meeting various national objectives relating to water quality".