MHK: 'Boundary movement will hold back community spirit'

Closing statements given on final day of public inquiry

Expanding Ramsey’s boundary would ‘hold community spirit back’.

That’s the view of an Ayre and Michael MHK who has given evidence to a public inquiry considering the proposal.

Today (24 January) marked the final day of a three-day hearing into whether Ramsey Commissioners should be able to expand into areas of Garff and Lezayre.

The authority believes the town is ‘full’.

More Evidence

This morning the inquiry heard from Diane Brown, the head of planning in the Cabinet Office, who explained the significance of the North and West Area Plan and how it fits in with the proposed boundary extension.

She said: “It gives certainty about developments and it does identify the challenges that Ramsey faces like the flood risks."

She added the representatives in the inquiry should 'be careful' about branding sites in the town as 'undevelopable' as there could be a 'design or solution' which could be taken into account.

It was suggested previously by Ramsey Commissioners that its own brown field sites are undevelopable and businesses would not see them as a good investment.

Ayre and Michael MHK Tim Johnson also spoke at the inquiry saying he was representing himself and his constituents.

“We have two distinct communities with defined needs and contexts,” he said adding: “The overwhelming feedback I’ve had is that they do not want to be part of the greater Ramsey community.

“Changing boundaries will not improve this - it will hold community spirit back by being swallowed up by bigger authorities.”

Mr Johnson also claimed if the proposal is approved residents who are brought into Ramsey will have a ‘fourfold’ increase in rates.

He added: “It does very much beg the question of why on earth they want to absorb it into the town, areas of agricultural land, and by Manx standards, good land at that.

“They stopped making land years ago.”

Keith Dalrymple, a business owner in the north, told the inquiry he would like to see Ramsey develop inside its current boundary first. 

He said it was his belief that there wasn't 'a single speaker' in favour of the proposed boundary apart from the team from Ramsey Commissioners.

Closing Statements

This afternoon final submissions were made by all three local authorities and their representatives.

Marinda Fargher, the Vice Chair of Garff Commissioners, said she still can't understand why Ramsey Commissioners has proposed this new boundary. 

"My main concern throughout this inquiry has been about the huge amount of open countryside, hill land and glens which Ramsey Town Commissioners seeks to have," she said. 

"There's no doubt there's a northern community, I feel part of it living in Glen Mona. What will they be offering in addition to what residents are already given?

"Those living in The Crossags will be able to join the Ramsey Library for a reduced rate, but this is all."

Mrs Fargher concluded by saying Ramsey Commissioners had continued the process in a 'blinkered' fashion adding the 'status quo' should remain. 

Advocate Sally Bolton, who was representing Lezayre, said the inquiry was about land which has 'long' been in the areas of rural authorities. 

"While individual rates are not something that can be taken into account, there will be impact on this if you were to remove Glen Auldyn from Lezayre.

"In these circumstances where would the money come from for the services to for its other residents?" she asked. 

Mrs Bolton added that the application for the boundary extension is 'premature' and should have been pushed back until after the publication of the North and West Area Plan. 

The final submission came from the advocate representing Ramsey, Michael Jelski, who said the 'balance of advantage' criteria lies with Ramsey and the extension.

He claimed the reason why so many speakers from the Glen Auldyn area came out against the proposal is because of the rates, not because they are a community.

Mr Jelski added: "There's a community of interest in most public services and social agencies, many of the areas sought are in the outgrowth of Ramsey. 

"Clear physical boundaries have been followed.

"Ramsey has been looking at its available sites - these are either not suitable or not available. Ramsey Town Commissioners has been looking at what they can do."

The commissioners, he said, couldn't force landowners to develop sites in private ownership. 

The Decision

Chair of the Inquiry Peter Taylor will now make a decision based on the evidence presented to him. 

He will then submit it to the Department of Infrastructure, which manages local authorities, before it's submitted to Tynwald.