Commissioner 'optimistic' Peel residents will get sewage treatment

A report will be completed and a final decision will be made by the DEFA Minister

Over the last three days a planning inspector has been hearing evidence into whether Manx Utilities should be able to build a sewage treatment plant on Glenfaba Road.

A sole appellant, David Jones, requested the appeal on the grounds that his land, which has planning approval for 21 houses, would be affected.

Inspector Jennifer Vyse has heard from both parties, ‘expert’ witnesses and Peel Commissioners.

A Sewage Treatment Works has been needed in Peel for some time and Tynwald has voted twice in favour of funding a regional plant in the town – once in 2019 and again in 2022.

The MUA submitted an application previously in 2019 for a site at Glenfaba House, but this was rejected by a previous planning inspector.

Inspector Jennifer Vyse set out at the beginning of this hearing that she would only be considering the application site and not how it will operate or treat sewage.

Manx Utilities said on the first day the Glenfaba Road site is the preferred option and has performed best under a number of tests and in modelling.

Alternative sites were brought up several times by the appellant David Jones, which included the already refused Glenfaba House, Knockaloe Farm and the St Johns Sewage Treatment works.

The MUA’s legal representative James Burton, said Knockaloe is neither ‘acceptable nor reasonable’ as a site because of the increased carbon emissions which would be produced.

He also countered an argument by Mr Jones, who suggested using the outfall pipe built in World War One, as ‘mistaken’.

Mr Burton said the St John is site is too far away to be viable.

Both parties agreed there’s a need for a sewage treatment work for residents in Peel.

Peel Commissioner Alan Jones said he hopes for an outcome in favour of approval:

David Jones’ field, which is adjacent to the proposed site has been under development for housing since 2007.

Currently, foundations are in place for one house and one permanent entrance, and a temporary exit has been built – which the inspector said wasn’t in the plan.

He said the proposal for the sewage treatment would affect the planned houses in a negative way and claimed his development had started within the four-year timeframe given.

Mr Burton said a planning condition which states visibility splays needed to be sorted and obstructions removed before work started on construction couldn’t find evidence this had been completed.

He claims that this would mean an approval notice would be ‘spent’.

Mr Jones believed that it had been met, but couldn’t find correspondence to planning to show this is the case.

Odour was also high on the agenda during the hearing, as Mr Jones told the inspector that mapping used by Manx Utilities was wrong and smells would impact his site more than what was modelled.

However, Mr Burton said the modelling showed Mr Jones’ site would only be ‘slightly’ impacted.

This was measured from the closest point on his land to the proposed treatment works.

Executive Director of Water and Wastewater Tim Woakes says his team have done all they can to ensure a good outcome for the application:

The appellant, David Jones declined to provide a comment.

Inspector Jennifer Vyes will collate the evidence she’s heard over the last three days as well as the written submissions and form a report.

Once it's complete it will go to Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber to make the final decision.