Opponents to building more than 100 homes at Camlork have won the day.

The chairman of the area plan inquiry, Michael Hurley, has recommended that the eastern part of the site BH031, known as Camlork be removed from the final plan.

Objectors to the plans had argued that building of homes in the area would ruin the countryside, result in the loss of farmland and be a potential flood risk.

They added there was a lack of need for large scale development in the area and that it would lead to the coalescence of Union Mills and Strang.

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The Cabinet Office had estimated that the site, owned by Dandara Group Holdings and Baccarat Ltd would be able to take 140 homes and recommended that it be a specific site, meaning it would be available for developers providing they could gain planning permission.

Mr Hurley agreed that the area plan ’should make provision for a green gap between Union Mills and Strang, and that this should include the whole of field 521522 at Camlork’.

He added: ’I do not consider that a narrower corridor of open space would be sufficient to ensure the maintenance of the separate identities of Strang and Union Mills.

’For this reason, I consider that the allocation of field 521552 for housing would be unacceptable.’

The chairman said he believes there is ’sufficient land to meet the immediate need for residential development’ in the east on sites that are within existing settlement boundaries or in sustainable urban extensions of Douglas.

Mr Hurley said: ’I do not accept that there is an immediate need to allocated undeveloped land in the countryside, outside the existing settlement boundaries of the villages of Union Mills or Strang.

’There is no evidence to suggest that development on the scale proposed at Camlork would be necessary to meet any local need.’

However, while he threw out the Cabinet Office’s recommendation for Camlork, Mr Hurley did say that the four field to the west of Camlork should be zoned as a strategic reserve with capacity for up to 50 homes.

Mr Hurley added: ’This would allow for a limited urban extension of Union Mills, if this should become necessary in the future.’

Middle MHK Bill Shimmins, who has continuously argued against building at Camlork, said that Mr Hurley had ’grasped the strategic issues in his report on the eastern area plan inquiry’.

Mr Shimmins added: ’He states that the original proposals would be likely to result in a serious oversupply of housing and that new housing on the extensive "greenfield" sites proposed might be taken up in preference to the development of vacant or under used "brownfield" sites in the existing urban area.

’This was a concern raised by me and others, in that we would see a continuation of the previous trends over the last few decades whereby brownfield sites lie unloved and vacant, whilst development takes place in the Manx countryside.

’There is much to commend in his report, including the formalisation of green gaps between settlements which will provide clarity for many years to come.

’It is heartening that many greenfield sites have been removed from the original Cabinet Office proposals.

’These were causing alarm, distress and anger to many residents.’