Hartford Homes has downscaled its plans for a 12-house development to six, as a ’voluntary’ concession to reduce the amount of trees cut down and address concerns from neighbours.

The company previously received planning approval (PA20/01531/B) in May for the 12 homes on a wooded site behind Bix House in Farmhill, just off Farmhill Lane.

This would have involved the removal of a small 1980s tree plantation and the constituency’s former MHK Paul Quine had opposed the plans, saying that it would ’decimate’ the region’s ecology through the removal of around 150 trees.

Hartford Homes said the newly-submitted application (21/01540/B) was formed to ’see how they could provide a compromise solution to benefit the ecology and to address climate change mitigation’ by reducing the number of trees that would be cut down whilst increasing the number planted.

In addition to this, it said that a ’side benefit’ of the new solution was that it would address neighbours’ concerns about the privacy impact of removing the plantation and conifer hedge, and security fears over allowing public access into the retained woodland area.

’Hartford’s proposed concessions are voluntary and to help address the balance between the urgent need for housing and protecting the environment,’ an accompanying planning statement stressed.

The plans are for four-bedroom houses, with two storeys, three bathrooms (including an en-suite) and a single garage. The aforementioned large conifer hedge on the site’s northern boundary will also be retained.

An attached arboricultural impact assessment notes that the trees being suggested for removal to clear the development ’are, with some exceptions, of low individual quality’.

Nine trees would need to be removed to facilitate the development, in addition to removing a group of five trees, and six trees which are considered ’unsuitable for retention’.

Mr Quine had previously described the site as being ’the last proper piece of woodland left in the area’, noting that when he was growing up it was full of woodland and marshlands, as well as being a habitat for herons - hence the nearby pub’s name.

Existing woodland at the northeast part of the site will also ’be enhanced’ based on proposals from Manx Wildlife Trust.

This part of the site will also include a linking footpath, which joins the row of six houses to the neighbouring Lheannag Park Estate and Ballaughton Park in the east. Road access will be via the adjacent Farmhill Grove.

’Whilst it is understandable that adjacent property owners may not like new development close to their properties, the nature of sustainable development means that it should be located close to existing services, which invariably means that it is close to existing housing,’ the statement concluded.