Opposition to new tourist accommodation in village

Port Erin Commissioners has recently opposed a number of holiday lets

A commissioner for a southern village on the Isle of Man has said she will "always object" to new applications for tourist accommodation to support permanent housing needs.

Port Erin Commissioners has recently opposed a number of holiday lets, including a planning application on Church Road, which was objected to at the local authority's public meeting earlier this month.

Commissioner Hannah Mackenzie said she would like to see young families and professionals prioritised to help "rebuild communities".

But John Keggin of accommodation provider Island Escapes said that tourism generated benefits for the economy by creating jobs and spend in the local community.

In a public meeting in April, the local authority's Board resolved that existing tourist accommodation within the village would be taken into account when considering future planning applications.

'Vacant properties'

But Mr Keggin said tourism was a "key part of our economy" and parts of the island had been built on it.

A concern was the "shear volume" of vacant properties on the island, which was recorded in the 2021 Census as 5,695, and tourist accommodation made up "a tiny proportion of that".

He said it was important to reform the rates system to consider why a property was empty, and have them utilised for tourist or residential use.

He said all planning applications should be considered on merit, and there should not be "a flat refusal" for tourist accommodation by the local authority.

However, Ms Mackenzie said the village needed "homes to be lived in", and while there was a waiting list for locals to access accommodation she would "continue to ask that the board object to allowing more tourist use properties".

The Isle of Man government said that while the reform of the current rates system and a review of local authority structures was not among its "current priorities" it was "actively addressing issues with empty properties".