Minister for Policy and Reform Chris Thomas voted against a government motion as amendments to planning regulations were rejected today in Tynwald.

The motion was to make changes to the Emergency Powers Act town and country planning regulations to allow only written submissions to planning inquiries.

A planning inspector would also have been granted additional powers to allow an appointed person to make a site visit on his or her behalf or use digital technology.

The motion, after an 87 minute debate, won a slender 12-11 majority in the Keys, however it was rejected unanimously by the Legislative Council.

It marked one of the very few defeats suffered by the government since the Emergency Powers Act was introduced. All other motions have been passed, although some were amended.

We will have coverage of this debate, the rest of Tynwald and Wednesday’s sitting of the Legislative Council in this week’s Manx Independent, available in shops and online from Thursday.