Changes to social housing project given go ahead

The 133-home project is to replace more than 100 public houses

A number of changes to a social housing development, including a reduction to the number of local authority units, have been approved by planners.

The first phase of the 133-home project in the School Hill area of Castletown has already begun.

While it was originally due to create 101 public sector homes, the number set to be built has now been reduced to 94.

The planning committee heard that was down to changes to the layout and look of the project for safety and financial reasons.

Upgrades to "internal road networks" and "public space provision" were outlined at the latest meeting of the island's planning committee.

While the original development received planning approval in 2019, the committee was asked to consider a new application, which put forward a number of amendments.

'Ageing housing stock'

Under the changes, 94 public sector homes would be handed over to the local authority, while the remaining 39 units would be sold on the open market, with 10 earmarked as affordable housing.

The application said increased sales income as a result of the changes would enable key improvements to the project.

However it said the town had a "disproportionately high percentage" of public sector homes and "none of the original tenants will be without housing" as a result of the reduction.

Once complete, the overall development would create "a surplus of public sector housing" in the town, it added.

Clerk of Castletown Commissioners Hugo MacKenzie said the estate would replace "ageing housing stock" , which was part of a previous post-war development on the site that had fallen beyond economic repair.

He said the "early iterations of the scheme" had seen steps taken to "address the balance between public sector properties and private properties" to be made available.

In the future the authority could consider "freeing up other older properties we have in our portfolio for redevelopment", which would provide more homes that were "fit for modern living", he added.

So far 32 of the houses have been built, 31 of which have already been occupied, with a further eight set to be completed by June.