What is the Area Plan for the North and West?
Setting out proposals and recommendations that will zone the north and west of the island, the plan will guide planning policy for over half of the island for years to come.
As well as a written statement which sets out the background of the plan and detailed proposals and recommendations, the draft plan includes maps to illustrate the zoning of land typically for either housing, mixed-use, agricultural or industrial.
The consultation on the proposed area plan is now open and can be found at https://consult.gov.im.
Separate plans for the east and the south have already been published.
Ramsey
As the area plan covers a large area, the Manx Independent has broken it down into the key proposals that will affect each community based on which local authority it is represented by.
The most potentially contentious space in Ramsey, the south beach, has not been included in the draft plan, dealing a blow to Ramsey Marina Limited’s plans for housing and a marina in the area.
You can read more about that in this week’s Examiner, available in shops or to buy online now.
Across Ramsey, 15 sites have been included in the plans, including Gladstone Park, the former Albert Road school and areas around Mooragh Park and West Quay.
The biggest site to be included in the plan, RR009, which includes land between Sulby River and Lezayre Road at Milntown, has a likely yield of 138 properties.
The site has already been the subject of a planning application for 138 homes, which was rejected by the planning committee following objections from Ramsey and Lezayre local authorities. However, the applicant, Dandara, has launched an appeal.
While these sites are intended to be zoned, it does not mean that they are zoned for housing, for example, site RO004 (Vollan Fields, Bride Road) is recommended for open space or for special use, such as a school.
Of the sites, the draft plan recommended for housing, the Gladstone Park site has a likely yield of 16 houses, the Albert Road site 25, site RR005 (which includes fields off Poyll Dooey Road) 38.
Peel
The draft Area Plan for the North and West includes 17 sites within Peel, with a mixture of residential, open space, mixed-use and educational proposals recommended.
Of these included in the draft plan, the largest development site is PR002 (Land at Ballaterson, Glenfaba Road, Peel) where a likely yield of 90 homes is listed.
Elsewhere in sunset city, Olive Court and the Edward Loades Buildings have a yield of 37 homes and the former Empire Garage showroom on Marine Promenade and the garages on Stanley Road have a likely yield of eight between them.
Perhaps the most interesting potential sites in Peel to be included in the plan are PC002, PC003, PC004 and PC005. These sites, which are fields accessed via Mill Road, are all listed for civic use, namely sewage treatment works.