Minister confirms IRIS appeal dismissal

A company has been told it can’t fill in an area of land in Douglas to lay an IRIS pipe.

Lingfield Estates Ltd appealed after the planning committee refused permission for the work to go ahead.

It wanted to use inert material from the Middle River Industrial Estate to bring the land up to existing ground level at the back of two units there.

But the appeal heard the land is zoned as private woodland and isn’t zoned for development.

Planning inspector John Turner heard the company wanted to lay the IRIS pipe behind the MFBP builders merchant site near Douglas Golf Course.

But he said it was unfortunate it hadn’t supplied the Department of Transport’s drainage division with engineering calculations before the appeal was heard.

And he said maintaining the natural river valley, wetland and pond inside the woodland was important.

He recommended the appeal be turned down and the original decision to refuse permission be upheld.

DLGE Minister John Shimmin agreed and dismissed the appeal.