Castletown Commissioners to appeal decision on 48 new homes on outskirts of the town

Castletown Commissioners will appeal a decision to turn down an application for 48 new homes on the outskirts of the town.

 

The bid for houses at Knock Rushen was unanimously rejected by the planning committee in July.

 

One of the reasons it was turned down is the land wasn’t zoned under the Southern Area Plan, despite being ‘brought forward’ under the Castletown Housing Land Review.

 

In a statement, chairman Richard McAleer says commissioners have no option but to appeal against this element of the decision.

 

He adds that members believe the land review should be given ‘appropriate weight’ during the planning determination process.

 

Mr McAleer states Castletown suffers from shortage of development land to sustain its ‘viability, vitality and growth’.

 

Speaking before the commissioners lodged their appeal, Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said the land review has less weight than the Southern Area Plan, but is still an ‘important material consideration’.

 

He expects further issues regarding these two documents to be ‘tackled throughout the appeals process’.

 

In an interview recorded before the commissioners lodged the appeal, Mr Thomas explained the history of the process to Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne: