Isle of Man housing plan 'would result in too many homes'

Douglas is one of six places looked at in the Isle of Man government's area plan for the east

A plan to build more than 2,400 houses by 2026 in the east of the Isle of Man would "result in a serious over-provision" of homes, a report has said.

The report into the government's area plan for the east said the estimated population growth of 500 people per year had "failed to materialise".

It recommended provisions should be made for an additional 1,500 homes.

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said the report would be "carefully considered".

He added that the government was "focusing on high-quality, well-designed housing".

The proposed area plan was launched in 2017 and looked at land for development in six districts in the east of the island, including Douglas, Garff, Onchan and Braddan

Compiled by independent inspector Michael Hurley, the 118-page report on the proposals was published following a three-week inquiry in September.

Chris Thomas MHK said the report was an "important milestone"

It said projections of population growth were "unlikely to happen" as inward migration levels had fallen in recent years.

The report added that the "majority" of new homes should be located in Douglas and Onchan, to ensure the "existing character" of smaller settlements nearby was "largely retained".

It also recommended a "firm proposal" be created for improving the TT Access Road, which is a single track road that provides the sole link between Douglas and Braddan during the TT races, by 2022.

Mr Thomas said the report was "an important milestone" and there was "a lot of relief that we have got to this stage".

The Cabinet Office will now consider the recommendations before developing a final area plan for the east, which will be brought before Tynwald no later than July.