Garff Regional Sewerage Treatment Strategy

The Planning Committee rejected the application on 27 July and the reasons for the decision were considered by the Manx Utilities’ Board on 31 July. The Board agreed that no appeal will be submitted and that Manx Utilities must now look again at a holistic solution which is the most appropriate and best for Garff. 

Minister Tim Baker, Chairman of Manx Utilities said, “We respect and accept the Planning Committee’s decision although we were of course disappointed as we were confident the detailed proposal would have provided a suitable treatment solution for Laxey.

We will again work with local MHKs, Commissioners and of course the community and residents to identify a solution which is acceptable for Garff, exploring all potential options for this challenging physical environment.  We of course must be mindful that there needs to be balanced consideration of benefits and impacts, which can only be achieved by reviewing and evaluating all options together.  

There has already been a huge amount of work undertaken to get to this stage with a great number of options evaluated.  There are no easy solutions and every potential option will have its strengths and weaknesses, so we need to recognise that it will be impossible to please everyone.

It is imperative that we continue to drive forward a resolution for the remaining areas of the Island which do not have modern sewage treatment in place.  We want to bring forward our thinking in the manner outlined, to enable the Garff community to have an informed discussion and Manx Utilities to deliver the required sewage treatment solution.  Doing nothing is not an option as we must stop the release of raw sewage to sea to protect our precious Island environment.”