Ballasalla development: Work starts on 282 new homes

The development will see 282 new homes built in Ballasalla

Work on the first phase of a major housing development in the south of the island has started.

Plans for 282 houses on land between Douglas Road and Balthane Industrial Estate in Ballasalla were given the go-ahead last month.

The multi-million pound project includes a by-pass to divert traffic away from the village.

Vice-chair of Malew Commissioners Margaret Mansfield said the new homes were "needed" in the area.

The first homes in the development - a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, are due to be completed by spring 2020.

The by-pass includes a new roundabout on Douglas Road and a bridge over the steam railway line.

A public consultation over the plans was held in February 2018, followed by the drafting of final plans for the estate earlier this year.

Dandara managing director Seamus Nugent said he had been "extremely encouraged by the positive feedback" from residents and politicians in the area.

Mrs Mansfield said: "We need more houses in the south of the island in general.

"Hopefully the people who move into the homes will make use of the facilities in the village and build it into a community."

The phasing of the development would mean the increases in the number of people using facilities would be a "gradual process", she added.