A government minister says developing brownfield sites is vital for the Isle of Man.

Lawrie Hooper was speaking both as Enterprise Minister and Health Minister in Tynwald.

The government last month announced a scheme to encourage private developers to build on brownfield (previously developed - like the old Park Road school site, for example) sites.

Click here to read more about the scheme.

Tywnald this week backed the plan.

The Island Infrastructure Scheme will provide financial assistance of up to 25% of eligible expenditure to developers, by way of a grant and/or loan towards development projects.

Ultimately, it could pour millions of pounds into schemes to redevelop brownfield sites

Mr Hooper told Tynwald: 'The biggest challenge we have in health right now is staffing.

'I want more staff. Where are they going to live? Simple question.

'I can't wait for four years for planning to be reformed.

'If this scheme manages to deliver residential housing on a brownfield site that would otherwise have remained empty, that ticks a lot of boxes for me.

'It ticks a box in terms of urban regeneration. It ticks a box in terms of health care. It ticks a box in terms of economic regeneration.

'If this scheme only delivers that, it will be worth doing.

'The fact that it may deliver broader benefits, the fact that it may deliver leisure facilities, it may deliver housing on more than one site - that's great.

'There is no obligation here for government to fund anything.

'If the schemes that come forward do not meet the requirements that we set out, nothing will be funded.

'This is not us saying "here's some free money to do what you want", this is an incentive for you to do what we want.'