Residential development plans cautiously backed

Plans to develop agricultural land at Ballachrink have been backed in principle

Plans to redevelop agricultural land in the north of the Isle of Man have been provisionally approved, despite concerns about the impact on wildlife.

Blythe Church Investments Limited (BIC) want to develop Ballachrink in Ramsey and build a spine road to connect the site to Poyll Dooey Road.

A previous £40m plan from the same developers - comprising 205 homes, shops, parks and a pub - had previously been rejected due to wildlife concerns and flood risks.

However planners have now, in principle, unanimously backed the new proposals.

The firm owns 19 acres (8 hectares) of land by the banks of the Sulby River, comprising of agricultural land, woodland, sod banks, hedgerows and a pond.

A stretch of 7 acres (2.8 hectares) zoned for development would see five sites for potential construction, with a further 11 acres (4.5 hectares) remaining as open space.

Planning committee member Peter Whiteway said there was "not an awful lot" that was "objectionable" about the application as it was agricultural land that had been zoned for development.

Fellow committee member Helen Hughes said the proposals were "much better" than the previous plans.

While expressing some concerns about a lack of detail, and the planned loss of trees, she said: "I feel the benefits outweigh the impacts on the wildlife."

At a meeting in April, 80 green campaigners demonstrated against the previous plans.

The planning officer who recommended the proposals' approval said the benefits of the development "outweighed the disbenefits" and the development would make a "significant difference" to Ramsey's housing supply.