Tynwald backs £10m fund to redevelop vacant Isle of Man urban sites

There are more than 30 brownfield sites left undeveloped across Douglas and Onchan

A £10m fund has been set up by the Isle of Man government to help private developers regenerate disused urban areas, after Tynwald backed the move.

Under the Island Infrastructure Scheme, private developers will be able to apply for public funds to pay for up to 25% of a project's cost.

Enterprise Minister Lawrie Hooper said the grants would help regenerate sites that had been "vacant for years".

Critics of the plan said it was "pandering" to developers.

But Mr Hooper said: "If we don't do something, nothing will happen."

There are more than 70 sites across the island classified by the government as unoccupied urban areas, with the majority of those under private ownership.

Mr Hooper said the scheme, due to open in January, would help "unlock" private investment by making regeneration of these areas viable, leading to benefits for the Manx economy.

It will be paid for with money Tynwald previously approved in 2020 as part of a £100m recovery fund to help the island's economy bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic.

'Vacant for decades'

Though a majority in Tynwald backed the move, eight members voted against.

Tim Glover MHK said the public perception of the fund was that it was "pandering to the will of developers", and questioned why punitive action had not been taken against the owners of these sites.

Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson said he could not believe that "shovelling £10m into the pockets of developers" was a government priority, given "so many other calls on the public purse".

He and others also questioned how the scheme would be administered, while Marlene Hendy MLC raised fears it would encourage people to neglect buildings.

Treasury Minister Alex Allinson said it was "not a blank cheque" for developers, and the alternative was "to carry on doing what we're doing and leaving the sites vacant for decades on end".