A proposal by Patrick Commissioners as an alternative to plans for a sewage treatment site in the west of the island has been deemed withdrawn.

The planning committee requested additional information from the local authority for its application (20/00344/A) for approval in principle for the erection of a sewage treatment plant, however this has not been received.

Patrick Commissioners had proposed fields 311785, 311787 and 311835 between Glenfaba Road and the former Douglas to Peel railway line.

The local authority had said it wanted its proposal to be considered ’in tandem’ with the Manx Utilities Authority’s application for a treatment site to be built at the site of Glenfaba House which the MUA controversially demolished.

In its application, the commissioners said that a sewage works for the west is needed, but that ’believes that the [Glenfaba House] location is far from optimal’.

The application added: ’It is the desire of the commissioners that an alternative be considered at the same time as the application for full approval by Manx Utilities.

’It is understood that if there is no alternate plan on the table, a planning inquiry will not consider any alternate site even should this be available, and so the commissioners present their proposal for this alternate site.’

While Patrick Commissioners’ application is deemed to have been withdrawn, it is understood that the planning inspector who will be looking at the MUA’s application for Glenfaba House has made a site visit and is due to begin consideration of that and other potential sites.