The first steps towards the creation of Ballasalla’s massive new 282 housing and bypass development are being taken as work preparing the land gets under way.

An area of field has been fenced off and diggers are in action on the land between Glashen Hill on Douglas Road and Balthane Corner.

Building the bypass - to relieve congestion through the village - is part of the deal with developer Dandara.

However it is the responsibility of government to obtain the land at Balthane Corner which will be necessary to complete the bypass route.

This includes the historic Balthane Cottage, understood to date back to 1785, which will have to be flattened to make way for the new link road.

Patricia Newton, a member of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society, has queried how permission was granted before all the land for the bypass was acquired.

Mrs Newton said: ’The planning consent includes provision for a bypass - but a one ended one.

’While a link is shown at the Douglas Road end, no link was shown at the Castletown/Balthane end.

’Was it legal to give the whole development permission when the complete bypass upon which phases of the development are dependent is not shown on the application plans?’

She said Balthane Cottage is ’going to be acquired by the Department of Infrastructure and demolished, regardless of whether any proof of its need for any alignment let alone planning application for a road link in that area.

Dandara’s planning approval is for development in two phases of 135 and 147 homes respectively.

It was granted on condition that work on the bypass will begin no later than the completion of the 75th house and no houses in phase two are built until the new road is finished.