'Tough decisions' needed to meet housing demands

The Manx government committed to building up to 1,000 affordable homes in late 2024

"Tough decisions" need to be made to meet housing demand and protect affordability for future generations, the cabinet office minister has said.

In December, Tynwald backed a 10-year commitment to build up to 1,000 affordable homes following a review of housing needs.

David Ashford MHK, who is also chairman of the government's Housing and Communities Board, said: "We need to increase the supply of land for homes - if we don't, affordability will get worse for home buyers."

Getting the level of land supply "right" was "a key element" to address the issue, but zoning would require "careful planning", he said.

Planning permission was granted for a total of 1,329 new private sector dwellings between July 2021 and May 2025, with 339 properties delivered in the time frame.

The Objective Assessment of Housing Need found 10,000 homes would need to be built by 2041 with net migration of 1,000 people a year for the Manx government to reach its population and job growth targets.

Those have been outlined as a target of population growth to 100,000 by 2037 and an additional 5,000 jobs created by 2032.

Ashford explained at the annual Government Conference, held at the Comis Hotel in Santon, that the document also suggested 5,500 more homes would need to be zoned to meet those needs within that time frame.

He said a "mix of schemes" would be needed "to drive things forward" and develop more homes in the right places.

Although the government's role was to enable the housing market to deliver the homes communities need, a "significant step up from what is currently being delivered" would be required to meet targets, he said.

Minister Ashford discussed the need for delivering more homes at the annual Government Conference

A review of the Strategic Plan, which covers where future projects could be built, is currently underway.

A Tynwald decision on the Area Plan for the North and West, which outlines the spaces that should be earmarked for housing or industrial use and those to be kept as green spaces in both regions, is also expected in October.

The cabinet office has already formally adopted that document ahead of the debate.

Ashford said many young people had suggested they were "finding it difficult to find homes and that drives them away from the island" or stops them from returning after studies or working off island.

Therefore conversations about where to build, which developments to extend and what type of housing should be developed were needed now to "secure homes for future generations", which would in turn benefit the Manx economy, he said.

"There are tough decisions to be made" but "we need to get a grip on them so our younger people can have a home on our island", he added.