Area Plan for the East to go before Tynwald

Fri, 02 Oct 2020

A plan that revises how towns and villages in the east of the Island will be developed will go before Tynwald next month.

The Area Plan for the East sets out a framework for how Douglas and the surrounding settlements will grow in future years by providing opportunities for employment and housing and protecting areas of countryside, open space and recreation.

Whilst the Isle of Man Strategic Plan contains general land use policies for the whole Island, Area Plans identify site specific proposals and address local planning policy matters.

The Strategic Plan identifies the need for 2,440 new homes between 2011 and 2026, but following the 2016 Census the Cabinet Office reduced the figure with development largely concentrated within and on the edge of Douglas.

The decision will significantly reduce the development of green field sites and encourage the development of unoccupied urban sites. It is also hoped that focusing development within the Douglas area will increase the amount of people who actively travel.

Under the plan, areas of Douglas and Onchan will be designated as Comprehensive Treatment Areas, which means the Government may acquire that land or part of it by agreement or by force. This will help to unlock difficult sites and help to deliver economic, environmental or social benefits.

At the October siting of Tynwald, Ray Harmer MHK, Minister for Policy and Reform, will move that The Town and Country Planning (Area Plan for the East) Order 2020 be approved. 

If successful it will come into operation on 1 December and take the place of the following five development plans:
• The Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982 (as it relates to the East)
• Braddan Parish District Local Plan, 1991
• Douglas Local Plan, 1998
• Onchan Local Plan, 2000
• Laxey & Lonan Area Plan, 2005

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