The chairman of Braddan Commissioners wants to know what has changed in respect to building houses at Camlork.

Andrew Jessopp was questioning a Cabinet Office witness at the inquiry into the area plan for the east when he asked what had changed since the area was last considered.

During its turn to present evidence to the chairman of the inquiry Michael Hurley, the Cabinet Office QC John Barrett called on urban planner Caitlin Murray. When he had the opportunity to ask questions of Miss Murray, Mr Jessopp questioned why Camlork (site BH031 on the draft area plan) was now being considered for development when the site was previously rejected.

Mr Jessopp pointed to a 2008 planning application for the site by Baccarat for large developments on Camlork Farm.

At that time, the application was rejected with the Department of Local Government and the Environment (predecessor to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture) also rejecting an appeal.

In rejecting the appeal, the former DLGE referred to an aim to ’continue regeneration within Douglas’ and ’a continued policy of urban advancement’.

A further comment referred to the move from green fields to an urban development as ’seriously harmful’.

Mr Jessopp (pictured) asked Miss Murray: ’What has changed?’ She told him that ’time had moved on’ and that she and the Cabinet Office understand ’there is a long history with the site’.

He responded that he didn’t feel his question was being answered and asked: ’What has materially changed?’

Miss Murray said that the need for housing in the island has changed and that the Camlork was assessed in the hierarchy of sites and that it also lies just inside the active travel range of 2.5 miles.

Mr Jessopp told Miss Murray and Mr Hurley ’I don’t feel you’ve provided any evidence’. However, she told him that the premise of the strategic and area plan is to provide housing.

Mr Hurley interjected and said it was ’clear that the Cabinet Office are sticking to the 2,440 figure’ (the number of houses the government says are needed in the east of the island).

Again Mr Jessopp asked what need there is for the increase in houses in the Camlork area, to which Mr Hurley told him that ’if the need increased, then it is needed now’.