The inquiry into the area plan for the east has heard that a proposed 200-house development would ruin the natural environment and landscape.

Patricia Newton spoke to object to the proposed building of 200 homes at site OH011, which is at Ballachrink in Onchan.

Chairman Michael Hurley was told that if the development went ahead, a piece of Onchan’s landscape would be lost forever and it would spoil the view from the Mountain Road. Mrs Newton said: ’The impact would primarily be from the area around the Creg-ny-Baa.

’Coming from the north, you can’t see Governor’s Hill until you’re much closer to it but this will be visible and as such will damage views of the countryside.’

Mrs Newton added that the proposed site has ’absolutely nothing’ to soften its impact by way of trees or hedges.

She told Mr Hurley: ’Any developer will find it very hard to make it sympathetic to the landscape.

’As such it will have a major impact if it goes ahead and I don’t think that’s acceptable.’

Mrs Newton also raised the issue of the top of Birch Hill, where the new houses would be built. She suggested that cold weather in the winter would affect bus services.

And she said that if the bus service were extended to include the new estate, this too would face problems.

However, a representative from the Department of Infrastructure’s highways department said he was not aware of the issues.

During her evidence, Mrs Newton was asked questions from John Barrett QC, who has been hired from UK law firm Kings Chambers to represent the Cabinet Office.

Mrs Newton accepted that concerns of residential amenity and landscaping could be resolved during the planning stage, but this ’would depend on how it was done’.

Mr Barrett pointed out that whenever developments are undertaken, ’there is always issues’ which have to be resolved.

Later during her evidence, Mrs Newton raised the issue of landscaping, by way of trees being planted both in and outside of the site boundary.

She said her experience of where this was done following development in Laxey, it ’should not be relied upon’.

Mrs Newton added: ’Any landscaping should only be allowed inside the site, not outside the boundary.

’The onus has to be for the developer to landscape inside the site otherwise, why set the boundary in the first place?’