Next stage of flood defences scheme approved

Heavy rainfall in October 2019 left several houses on Glen Road flooded

Planners have backed proposals for the next phase of a flood alleviation scheme along Laxey River to protect homes along its bank.

The plans would see the construction of a concrete river wall to replace the existing infrastructure across a 1,148ft (350m) section from the new river bridge to Glen Road.

The improved defences have been developed following a 2019 flood in the area, which saw more than 60 houses damaged.

While Garff Commissioners had welcomed the proposals, members of the local authority raised concerns that the concrete finish would appear "out of character".

'Work needs to be done'

The height of the wall would vary between 3.9ft (1.2m) and 5.2ft (1.6m) above the river bank level and would be on the north side of the river.

Conservation planning consultant Patricia Newton, who objected to the plans, said it was "unacceptable" to have a further stretch of the river with a concrete wall.

That was echoed by the local authority, along with a local resident, who requested that stone be used for the publicly visible finish of the wall.

Committee member Adele Bettridge said it was hard to balance aesthetics with the fact that the work needs to be done to stop flooding again, while her colleague Mathew Warren said he was conscious stone was expensive and questioned whether alternatives could be used.

The planning officer who recommended the proposals for approval said, while the increased height of the new walls would be noticeable, conditions placed on the development meant the materials used above the water would need to reduce the visual impact.

Although the works could affect river ecology and marine habitats, it was a small section of the river, and those effects would need to be weighed up with the loss of homes, infrastructure and livelihoods, he added.