Laxey residents have criticised Manx Utilities’ plans for a treatment works at Laxey harbour as backwards thinking.

Garff Commissioners hosted a meeting at the village’s Pavilion on Tuesday night, where residents criticised MU’s plans for the Cairns site.

During the meeting, which was attended by more than 100 residents, MU’s head of sewage Tim Wokes, and Ian George from designer Arcadis put forward the case that the Cairns site represents the best option for solving the village’s sewage issue.

They argued that it presents the best value for money and would deal with the village sewage for decades going to come.

The plans, already submitted to planners, would include a bridge to allow tankers daily access to the site.

Roger Tomlinson, who was speaking on behalf of Best 4 Laxey Bay said ’we can do better’ than drive a tanker through the village every day.

Resident Richard Henthorn told the MU, and its outgoing chairman Dr Alex Allinson MHK, that removing sludge using a tanker is ’old thinking’ and was ’sentencing the village to diesel fumes and particulates every day’.

Mr Henthorn was joined by other residents, including Stewart and Alan Clague, to support Mr Tomlinson’s campaign to ’Pump Not Dump’.

Stewart Clague also presented Garff Commissioners chairman Jamie Smith, with a petition signed by about 500 people opposing the Cairns site being used.

He later told Dr Allinson: ’It feels like MU is saying because it’s Laxey, it doesn’t matter.’

The campaigners want Laxey, Garwick and Baldrine’s sewage to be pumped to Onchan where it could join the main pipeline to Meary Veg.

Arcadis and Manx Utilities have dismissed this idea due to the expense of the work, which they said would include several pumping stations due to the nature of the road between the two areas and having to purchase land that the government doesn’t own.

Mr Henthorn told the meeting that MU should pump sewage underneath the MER tram lines, similar to how the IRIS scheme transports southern sewage under the steam railway tracks.

The benefits of this scheme, the residents said, is that the gradient on the tram lines is less than that of the roads, the government already owns the land, and it would not require major roadworks all the way through Garff and Onchan.

When pushed by Mr Clague, Mr George from Arcadis admitted that they ’have not considered’ pumping under the tram tracks and said that any system would ’need accessibility’.

However, residents again pointed to the IRIS scheme as evidence that pumping under a railway line can be achieved.

In the 2020 Budget, £4.5m was set aside to renew lifeâ?expired sections of rail and structures across all four railways in the island, which is likely to include parts of the MER line surrounding Laxey.

Concerns

Other residents raised concerns about the impact the proposed works would have on the village’s tourism, flood risk, roads - in particular Minorca Hill - due to daily tanker movements, smell and house value of properties near the site.

Dr Allinson, whose replacement as chairman has not yet been announced, said: ’This is not a done deal and if planners don’t support the proposals, then we will have to think again. But tonight’s meeting will not stop the application.’

The planning application (20/00082/B) and details on how to submit comments can be found online the government planning website https://services.gov.im/planning, at Murray House or at Garff Commissioners.