A public requisition meeting is being held at Bride Methodist Hall on Thursday, September 28, starting at 7pm.

The meeting has been called to enable people to express their views about the proposed development of Glen Truan golf course. As the Isle of Man Examiner reported this week, the planning application has now been lodged.

Last month a millionaire businessman unveiled plans for a £3.5m luxury log cabin holiday development.

John Morphet’s Pure Leisure Group has reached an agreement, subject to planning, to buy and develop the Glen Truan golf course at Bride.

He wants to build 55 five-star luxury log cabins on the 170 acres site together with a clubhouse with 60-seat restaurant and bar that will be open to the public.

Fifteen of the log cabins will be available for rent and let out for as little as two nights a time while the others will be for sale, with a price tag of £175,000. The new owners will also be able to let out the cabins.

A second phase of development at Glen Truan could see the creation of a swimming pool and spa.

Mr Morphet, who lives at Bishopscourt in Michael, which he has fully refurbished since he bought it in 2010, believes the plans will create an extra 350 bedspaces and the sale of the cabins alone should generate an additional £1.9m in VAT revenue for the Manx government.

His Pure Leisure compay owns and operates holiday parks in the southern Lake District, Cambridgeshire fens and North Yorkshire coast. Overseas interests included Royal Westmoreland, a 750-acre estate with world class golf course in Barbados.

Last month he told the Manx Independent: ’What we are looking to do at Glen Truan is what I do for a living.

’We have a database in the UK of around 80,000 visitors who holiday with us on a regular basis and I thought it would be a good idea to create a similar development here.

’It will bring in holidaymakers from the UK to the Isle of Man and bring in more revenue for the Manx government.’

Mr Morphet said most of the visitors would be aged between 50 and 70 and would value the sea views, peace and tranquility that Glen Truan offers.

He said the development would be carried out sensitively, with environmental surveys carried out and low level lighting to ensure minimum impact on the adjoining Ayres nature reserve.

QUARRY

The site was a sand and gravel quarry before it was developed as a golf course.’

Each two or three bedroom log cabin will measure 42ft by 20ft and will feature two bathrooms, fitted kitchen and lounge with three-piece suite.

Some residents in the parish are now campaigning against the proposals.

A letter in yesterday’s Manx Independent from N Pattinson of Regaby says: ’There are local concerns over the safety of the Ayres as a bird sanctuary with a huge increase in traffic likely; uncontrolled visitors’ dogs from the chasing sheep and damaging nesting birds; the dark sky status of the Ayres being compromised by the lighting from this proposed park; safety of the many horse-riders who use the Ayres and the small roads leading to the Ayres; the drain on the local economy and the environmental and scenic impact of such a dense development.

’My concern is the damage this will do to the island’s reputation as yet another blot appears on the landscape because the developer had the money to do it.

’We don’t have the legislation in place to manage such a site and if it’s Bride today, it could easily be Scarlett tomorrow, Laxey the day afterâ?¦.’