Proposals to build a new regional sewage works in Laxey have met with cautious approval from villagers.

Residents had the chance to view the plans at a public exhibition over two days last week.

The proposal will see the new facility occupy the former holiday chalet site, now owned by Manx Utilities, at the north side of the harbour.

It will also means the construction of a new bridge, downstream from the replacement Old Laxey Bridge, to access the site.

Villager Dirk McHarrie was one of those who went to see the display at Laxey Sailing Club, in Tent Road.

’Well, we do need it. I really can’t see too much to object to,’ he said.

Mr McHarrie said the display was very impressive and the plans looked well-designed and made attractive use of Manx stone.

’The plan copies the scene shown on some old postcards of the site from the 1920s,’ he said.

He said there had been some questions raised about the possibility of noise and smell from the site.

’They have given assurances about that so we’ll have to wait until it’s built and see what the effect is,’ he said.

The current bridge over the Laxey river was only completed in 2017, after its 200-year-old predecessor collapsed in the 2015 floods.

But now a second bridge is to be built, spanning the top part of the harbour, to serve the sewage works.

Asset

Mr McHarrie added: ’It’s an impressive structure and it’s stone clad.

’It’s miles better than what some people are calling the "Dalek" bridge.

’It’s simple and it’s in keeping.

’The problem would be access to the site using the ’Dalek’ bridge, via a tight turn and a single track road.

’I think the general consensus is that people are happy.’

Julie Pinson, who runs the Laxey seafront kiosk on the opposite side of the harbour from the proposed sewage works, was also supportive.

’I think it will be a huge benefit to Laxey,’ she said.

’A treatment works has been needed for a long time but it really needs to go hand in hand with measures to treat sewage at Baldrine too.

’I can only see this as an asset.

’We have been really impressed with the level of consultation and the presentations they did and the plan to use Manx stone and make it look like a cottage is impressive.

’There are already two huge sewage tanks there anyway.’

She added that the chalet site was already up for sale prior to the plans being finalised for the sewage works.

All the remaining chalets are expected to be removed apart from the two-storey one which is to be used as the site office.

She wondered if the different government departments could have liaised better before the decision was made to construct two separate bridges so close together.

’I think it’s a small price to pay for a cleaner beach and sea,’ she said.

Manx Utilities says it has ensured all operating parts of the new plant will be under cover.

Fans and pumps will meet a stringent noise specification.

Sound level at 1m from the site perimeter outside normal working hours is not expected to exceed 50dB – no greater than normal suburban background noise.

Air from inside covers surrounding processed flows will be drawn through an air scrubbing system to remove odours.

All sewage flows from Laxey currently run downhill to the Cairns site, where a storage tank, built in 1912, is located.

On the outgoing tide, the contents are this tanks flow out untreated and unscreened to the sea via an outfall pipe.

The proposed screening and treatment works will include a new storm storage tank.

Existing sewers will be modified to pipe effluent into a 650 cubic metre below-ground storm storage tank and through a screening facility that will remove plastics and other detritus.

The sewage will then be passed into a flow-splitter towards two Integrated Rotating Biological Contractors.

IRBCs are slowly rotating packs of hundreds of discs, each about 4m in diameter, totalling many dozens of acres of area.

These are partly submerged in the effluent and as they rotate a layer of biofilm develops on the surface which digests the material, leaving a cleaner liquid.

This will be discharged to the sea through the existing outfall.

Solids falls to the bottom of the IRBCs and the storm tank. The sludge is periodically removed by suction tanker and taken to Meary Veg for processing.

The works will be accessed by a bridge to be constructed from the boat park.

The picture, right, shows how the works would be accessed.