Manx Utilities: No appeal on Laxey sewerage works decision

The proposed site for the Laxey works was an area previously used for holiday chalets

Manx Utilities has scrapped plans for a new sewerage works at Laxey Harbour following local residents' protests.

More than 400 people signed a petition opposing the proposals, citing concerns about increased traffic in the area as well as the site's potential bad smell.

Manx Utilities (MU) confirmed it would not appeal against the planning officials' unanimous decision last month to deny permission for the plant.

Company chairman Tim Baker MHK said an alternative plan was urgently needed.

MU will now work with residents and authorities to "identify a solution", he said, because "doing nothing is not an option".

Garff MHK Daphne Caine, who previously described the rejection as a "victory for the people", said MU's decision not to appeal had restored her "faith in democracy".

She added that it was important to "find an appropriate scheme that is in harmony with the area ".

Raw sewage is currently pumped through outfall pipes into the sea at Laxey.

A new treatment facility in Garff, which encompasses the village, is part of a £23.5m scheme to deal with the island's waste.

Mr Baker said there would be "no easy solutions and every potential option will have its strengths and weaknesses".