Extra cash approved for Isle of Man sewage project

Currently raw sewage is pumped into Peel Bay

An additional £16.9m has been approved to complete the Isle of Man's regional sewage treatment programme.

The project will see treatment works built to serve the Peel and Laxey and Baldrine areas.

Currently, raw sewage from the regions is pumped into the sea.

A bid to have an external evaluation of the cost of pumping the waste directly to the island's main processing plant in Santon was thrown out by Tynwald members.

The project has been delayed by objections from local residents to the previously proposed sites for the works, leading Manx Utilities facing increased costs for new sites and rising inflation.

Chairman Rob Callister said since the original £23.5m price tag of the project was approved in March 2019 the overall cost had risen to £40m.

'New designs'

During a debate, Daphne Caine put forward an amendment calling for the review of the options, arguing the decision should not be taken "on trust" but should be backed up independently.

However, Tim Crookall MHK argued against adopting an approach that would delay the project further, adding: "It is absolutely time we sorted this."

"We do not want it going out into the bay, being discharged any more, whether it be on the east coast or the west coast," he added.

Rejecting the amendment, Mr Callister said there was "no basis" in the claims that pumping the waste straight to Meary Veg would be cheaper, which would involve "significant upheaval along the route" and was "not as simple as people say".

Some of the additional costs were due to the fact that Manx Utilities had "listened to local concerns" about the location of the sites, he said.

"What is in front of members today is not an overspend, we are basically looking at new designs, new planning application, new sites," he added.