Commissioners support sewage treatment works

A local authority in the east of the Isle of Man has voted by a "narrow margin" to support plans for a sewage treatment plant, despite threats by two commissioners to resign over the matter.

In September, Manx Utilities submitted its plans for a sewage treatment plant to serve Laxey at the southern edge of the Axonfell Plantation.

At its public meeting on Wednesday, Garff Commissioners agreed to support the plans by four votes to three.

In a statement, the local authority said: "A narrow majority of Members voted to accept the current proposal on the grounds that it offered the only achievable means of ending the discharge of raw sewage."

However, members who voted to support the proposals argued they were "flawed and far from ideal," the statement said.

The local authority drafted suggested conditions for the planning committee to consider, such as monitoring water quality and publishing results, for ultraviolet treatment to be used year round and financial penalties if raw sewage was discharged outside of a storm surge.

Previous plans for sewage treatment works at Laxey Harbour were thrown out by planners in 2020 amid local backlash.

The commissioners said it had previously lobbied for Meary Veg, which serves Douglas and Onchan, to be used instead, however MUA has maintained that was not possible on cost grounds, and Tynwald policy which states that sewage should be treated regionally.

During the local authority's public meeting, Board members Tim Kenyon and Stuart Clague threatened to resign if the local authority voted to support the MUA's proposals.

Mr Clague argued the local authority should continue to lobby MUA for Meary Veg to be used and said he would not take his grandchildren to Laxey Beach if the proposals were implemented.

Speaking after the meeting, Chairman Stan Ryzak said it had been a "very difficult decision for members to make."

"The current proposal has disadvantages but Manx Utilities have given assurance that, despite the logistical challenges, their proposal is achievable, provides highly effective treatment, and will help ensure that water quality in Laxey Bay is the best it can be," he added.

The local authority will now lodge a formal response to the planning application.

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