Plans for a 'silt lagoon' in Peel given government go-ahead

Silt was last removed from Peel Marina in 2015

Plans to create a "silt lagoon" in a field behind Peel power station have been approved by the Manx government.

An estimated 45,000 tonnes of contaminated material, including cadmium and lead, will be dredged from the town's marina and transported to the field.

Dredging is needed to maintain access to berths within the marina and was last carried out in 2015.

Conservation charity Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) had objected to the plans.

Spokesman Tim Graham said that while the project was "clearly needed", it was "a shame that some basic ecological standards were not met" in the environmental impact assessment.

Department of Infrastructure (DOI) member Tim Baker MHK said the project would be subject to "rigorous monitoring" by the environment department and environmental health.

A separate application will submitted for plans for a project at the former Cross Vein Mine

Planning consent for the 8ft (2.5m) deep pool, which will measure about 230ft (70m) by 330ft (100m), has been granted for five years.

The DOI says it intends to use the lagoon for a "maximum of three years", after which the land will be restored.

About £900,000 has been earmarked for the project in the Isle of Man budget for 2019-20.

Excess water in the silt will be removed over an 18-month period and pumped back into the marina.

The dried sediment will then be used to fill in areas of erosion at the former Cross Vein Mine near Foxdale.

The DOI said the sediment would be "significantly less" contaminated than dust found in the area of the lead mine, locally known as "snuff the wind".

A separate planning application will be submitted for that phase of the project at a later date.