New £6.5m central valley sewage works project to take 18 months

Work on a £6.5m project to replace a sewage treatment works to meet growing demand in two Isle of Man villages will being next month.

Planners have approved a bid by Manx Utilities (MU) to modernise the existing 1960 facility at Crosby to allow it to serve the Glen Vine area.

An MU spokeswoman said part of the heritage trail would shut for 10 weeks early next year due to the works.

The 18-month project was expected to be completed by April 2025, she said.

The authority said the works supported the "demands of a growing population in the Crosby and Glen Vine area and represents a significant step forward in addressing the community's vital wastewater management needs".

Works would also include a new pumping station at Glen Vine along with pipework along the heritage trail to connect it to the new treatment works in Crosby, which meant the closure of the path would be "unavoidable" between 5 January and the end of March.

While the project would require the removal of "some prominent trees on site", ecological concerns would be taken into consideration and a number of native species of trees would be planted after the works were completed, the MU spokeswoman said.

Wastewater discharged by the replacement Crosby facility would be treated by newer technologies to reduce the amount of pollution going into the nearby River Dhoo, she added.

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