Two potential sites for a proposed new regional sewage treatment plant for Peel are being considered.

A briefing note published by Manx Utilities reveals it is negotiating the purchase of a plot of land at two locations - one on privately-owned land on the western side of the River Neb just past the disused quarry and the other on government-owned land at Knockaloe Farm.

Final selection of a site will take place during the summer.

Meanwhile, a Tynwald committee is investigating the regional sewage treatment strategy - despite concerns this could lead to delays in building Peel’s plant which is scheduled to begin in 2019.

Untreated and unscreened sewage is currently pumped out to sea and last year Peel once again failed to meet mandatory standards for bathing water quality.

Both of the potential sites for the plant have no existing pedestrian or vehicle access.

A bridge over the Neb would be required for the lower site. Environmental impact studies will also have to be undertaken as well as a flood risk assessment on the lower site.

The environment and infrastructure policy review committee has been gathering evidence on the regional sewage treatment policy.

Chairman Rob Callister told a recent hearing it was not the intention of the committee to delay the delivery of the sewage treatment facility but that a review was prudent given the current IRIS policy has not been reviewed since 2010.

That 2010 review resulted in the old IRIS policy of an all-island sewage treatment network all connected to a central works at Meary Veg, Santon, being replaced with a system of regional sewage treatment plants.

Peel town clerk Derek Sewell said the commissioners were concerned the western regional sewage treatment plant was being moved back in the programme and there was ’heck of a lot to do’ if Manx Utilities were to stick to its revised timetable.

’Peel is one of the best beaches and one of the most used beaches in the island. It also happens to be one of the most polluted as well,’ he said.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said his biggest worry for the people of Peel was that ’more delay, more going back over old ground won’t deliver the benefits’.

He added: ’The key outcome is not so much the siting it’s are you going to deliver a cleaner beach, are you going to have good bathing standards?’

He said it was ’self-evident’ that Peel should be in a regional sewage treatment strategy which was far more cost effective than the original all-island IRIS policy.

It had already provided financial savings, he said, and there were capacity issues at Meary Veg in Santon, which would need to be expanded if Peel was connected. Without Ramsey, which is now getting its own regional plant, the arguments against a centralised scheme were much more straightforward.

Mr Harmer said Manx Utilities’ preference he had always thought was the third field near the power station, which he said was quite a considerable distance, 400m or so, from the Food Park.

But earlier the committee heard from William Caley, director of Isle of Man Seafood Products, who said the proposed sewage plant would be too close to his business.

’It’s a complete backwards step,’ he said. ’I’m in favour obviously of raw sewage not going into the bay. But I do believe now I know more about the other options that there are better, cheaper options available. I would centralise it.’

Back in 2009, the board of Peel Commissioners narrowly voted to oppose a regional sewage plant for the town.

Commissioner Alan Jones, lead member for works, said at the time there had been protests over the plans for an open plant. The new proposal is for a covered plant.

Mr Sewell was sceptical that there would be no smell and no insect activity at all by having a covered plant but these would be much reduced.