New Laxey river defences to ease flooding fears, commissioner says

Approved plans for a flood wall near Laxey Bridge form part of a wider protection scheme

Building new river defences in Laxey should help residents feel safer after the "distressing" flood in 2019, the village's local authority has said.

A government bid to build a 197ft (60m) stone and glass flood wall on the riverside at the Shore Hotel near Glen Road has been approved by planners.

It is the latest in a series of flood protection works underway in the area.

Chairman of Garff Commissioners Marinda Faragher said the defences should bring villagers "peace of mind".

Ms Faragher told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the 2019 flood and its after effects had been "really distressing" for residents of Glen Road, with more than 50 homes damaged.

"You can still see properties being repaired," she added.

Flood defences

The existing river wall alongside the Shore Hotel up to Laxey Bridge is set to be strengthened under the Department of Infrastructure's (DOI) plans, which also include the construction of a new glass and stone flood wall along the river's edge.

Originally the DOI had proposed a glass-only wall with concrete pillars, but altered its plans to include stone cladding after concerns by the commissioners that it would not blend in with the existing Manx stone walling in the the conservation area.

Planners approved the application and attached conditions calling on the department to include the stone-cladding on both sides of the wall, and detail the type of material that would be used.

It follows the approval of several other flood protection projects further up the river, with construction in some areas already complete.

These included reinforced concrete walls, changes to a weir, rock ramps to control water flow and stabilise river banks, as well as soil embankments.

Ms Faragher said the protection brought by the new defences should help residents in the area move on from a "stressful" period.