An application for a new cycle path in Douglas has been pulled by the department behind it.

Douglas Council had warned the Department of Infrastructure that if it didn’t pull the plans for the path and rework it with the authority then it would be forced to object to the application.

The DoI had made the application (19/01062/B) to create the path, for cyclists and walkers to run around the outside of the council’s gold course and playing fields.

The plan would see the pathway run from Douglas town centre to Anagh Coar, linking up to another route from Cooil Road at the Anagh Coar junction with the New Castletown Road.

As part of the Pulrose section, the route would run inside the perimeter fence of the Council-owned golf course, round the back of the houses on Springfield Road and along the bottom of the recreational grounds where Pulrose United and Douglas Athletic football clubs play.

This route would form part of the DoI’s planned network of active travel routes around the island’s capital, some of which will link up with the little-used Peel Road cycle lane which was introduced when the DoI carried out large scale works on the arterial route in 2014.

However, the council’s executive committee had said it wasn’t satisfied with the plans and asked the DoI to withdraw them so they could discuss the council’s objections.

The council’s agenda for this month’s meeting said: ’Members considered the proposed precise location of the cycle route, which followed the line of the perimeter fence of the golf course.

’It was recalled that the fence had been erected by the council to prevent unauthorised access onto the course, and it was agreed that the cycle route would need to be outside the perimeter fence, so the fence would need to be moved by the DoI.’

Concern was also expressed that the width of the pathway at 4m, was excessively wide for the purpose and could encroach onto the football pitches.

Council leader David Christian told councillors that the DoI had agreed to pull the plans during this week’s sitting.

He said that ’in principle’ the council is in agreement with the plans but that it would be reliant on the DoI making changes such as securing the fence around the council’s golf course.

He confirmed the DoI will be paying for the scheme.