Richard Gerrard completed a second Parish Walk and End to End double with consummate ease on Sunday.

Having won in a record time of 14hr 40min 08sec for the Parish in late June, he retired when leading last month’s 100-mile walk at Castletown with a hamstring injury.

But, after a holiday and short break from strenuous walking, he eased his way back in on Sunday when he walked the first 22 miles with relative new name Sam Fletcher.

He then stretched clear in the second, hillier half of the 39-mile course to cross the line at the Sound in a finishing time of 6hr 43min 49sec.

Southsider Fletcher held on well for second place, more than 12 minutes down but inturn 8m 35s in front of Dave Walker, with Richard Wild fourth.

Dale Farquhar fought off cramp on the Dalby climb to seal fifth, while James Quirk and Adam Killip crossed the line in joint sixth.

Stephanie Quayle of Ramsey also walked well to finish 10th overall, first woman, in 7:39.47. She was 34s ahead of Karen Lawrie at the close, with Jayne Farquhar third (14th overall). There were 116 finishers.

l Full report, results and more pictures in the Manx Independent, on sale Thursday morning.

The Manx Netball Association’s new league season got under way on Sunday.

Premiership

Simcocks Red Eagles 43, Simcocks Blue Eagles 25

PWC Manx Gem Rubies 30, Missfits A 39

SMP Partners Ballasalla B 24, Route 1 Connections 53

Thompson Purple 23, Brown Craine Toomraiders 29

Route 1 Turbos 30, SMP Partners Ballasalla A 55.

Division One

Castletown Pink 15, Bobby Saddler Young Farmers 25

Simcocks White Eagles 14, The Spaniards 28

PWC Manx Gem Emeralds 17, Manx Glass Saints 29

Team DQ 44, Marbree Motors 11

Fencibles A 27, Absolute Scaffolding 18

Division Two

SMP Partners Ballasalla C 32, Thompson Violet 17

Missfits B 29, Route 1 Sparks 20

PWC Manx Gem Sapphires 22, Castletown Navy 9

Simcocks Green Eagles 15, Thompson Fuchsia 15

Thompson Lilac 35, Route 1 Reactors 26

Reports in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

A motorist who hit a garden hedge in his vehicle is being hunted by police.

It heppened on at Dhoor Bridge, Andreas Road, Lezayre, about a mile outside Ramsey, between 5pm on Sunday and 8.30am the next day.

A large section of garden hedging was damaged.

Constable Mark Kerruish said the vehicle responsible left some debris from a Volkwagen or an Audi.

It is suspected that vehicle would have sustained front near side damage.

Regeneration work in Ramsey’s Market Square is progressing well and the main contractor, Island Drainage and Groundwork Ltd, is optimistic that the work will be completed before Christmas.

Costs are being sought for a commemorative monument to be installed in the square, in keeping with the original fitting which features in early photographs.

Four trees have been planted in the square by the contractors, under the supervision of head gardener Bobby Cunningham. The cost of the trees was £6,294.32 (£1,573 each).

Chief technical officer Steve Harrison explained that the trees were a type of elm, selected because of their suitability for coastal and urban locations, including resistance to environmental pollution and disease.

‘As they are a type of elm tree, we had to ensure that they were not susceptible to Dutch elm disease,’ he said.

‘These trees have been developed to ensure that they are disease resistant. They are delivered with their own plant ‘passport’ and are chipped to identify the tree and certify their disease resistance.

‘In addition, the trees have a fibrous root system which means that, in the longer term, there is less likelihood of damage to the surrounding paving.’

The trees, supplied by the UK firm of Hillier Nurseries Ltd, were ordered by the commissioners on the advice of their head gardener, Bobby Cunningham.

Mr Harrison said that, although the cost would ultimately be met as part of the regeneration scheme, it was deemed prudent for the commissioners to order the correct type of tree for the location as they would be responsible maintaining them once the scheme was complete.

The company founded by Stuart Baggs has been taken over.

Mr Baggs, who found fame on television in The Apprentice in 2010, died in July after an asthma attack.

--

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/stuart-baggs-found-dead-in-isle-of-man-1-7385510|Click here to read our report at the time}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/stuart-baggs-final-interview-offers-glimpse-of-man-looking-forward-to-the-future-1-7391860|Stuart Baggs’ final interview was conducted by the Isle of Man Examiner.}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/stuart-baggs-died-as-a-result-of-asthma-1-7396308|Stuart Baggs died from asthma}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/the-apprentice-stars-pay-tribute-to-stuart-baggs-1-7387578|Apprentice stars pay tribute}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/stuart-baggs-s-sister-pays-tribute-to-a-king-of-following-his-dreams-1-7386891|Sister’s tribute}

BlueWave Communications Ltd was founded by him in 2007, with the objective to provide a greater choice of internet services to businesses and consumers on the island.

In more recent years, the company has grown to a customer base of several thousand subscribers and operates a fixed and wireless broadband service.

It is being taken over by {https://www.aql.com/|AQL}.

Its boss Dr Adam Beaumont said: ‘I’ve known Stuart for nearly a decade and I’ve seen his hard work and commitment build up a business with a great deal of respect and good will within the local community.

‘These values are strong within AQL and I felt that we wanted to make sure that the staff and customers of BlueWave would continue, along with the BlueWave brand. AQL has now acquired BlueWave as a going concern.’

BlueWave had just rolled out 4G broadband services which AQL also intends to support. The company will continue to be managed locally by the same BlueWave team.

‘For now, it’s about stabilisation – making sure we understand the systems, customers and building in resilience. Once we have developed a robust platform, we’ll continue BlueWave’s rollout across the island, along with expansion into other service areas. The guys in Douglas now have a much bigger team behind them.’

He added: ‘Once we get the technical work done, we will also be establishing a discretionary fund from BlueWave profits to help budding entrepreneurs with small funds to explore their first idea or prototype. Applicants under the age of 27 will be eligible to apply.’

More on this story in the Manx Independent on Thursday.

Leading international yachting services provider, Equiom, will again showcase its expertise at the world-famous Monaco Yacht Show from September 23 to 26 at Port Hercules, Monaco.

Equiom has gained global recognition within the yachting industry by providing tax efficient bespoke yacht ownership structures.

The company’s 11-strong team of yachting experts will include renowned VAT specialists, Ayuk Ntuiabane and Steve Cain, as well as key individuals from Equiom’s Isle of Man office as

Steve Cain said: ‘For yacht owners and operators, aside from the key decisions of ownership structure and flag choice, VAT can provide a complex challenge.

‘With Equiom’s extensive experience in this field, I expect this to be a key topic of conversation at the show.

‘Our multi-jurisdictional presence also means we are well placed to provide a wide range of registration and leasing solutions, as well as the latest advice on EU importation.

‘The Monaco Yacht Show is undoubtedly the focal point of the year for the yachting world and I expect it to be a busy and productive few days for the Equiom Yachting Team.”

Meanwhile, Ayuk Ntuiabane will take a key speaking slot at the Marine Money Superyacht Finance Forum, which takes place the day before the Monaco Yacht Show. His presentation will address the need to optimise both existing and new yacht ownership structures, in light of recent VAT changes across the EU.

In addition to the Yachting Team, Equiom’s crewing expert, Scott Le Cornu, will also be at the show to provide advice on crew employment issues, such as multi-currency payroll, employment contracts and licences.

Considered the world’s premier yachting event, the Monaco Yacht Show was originally established in 1991. This year’s event will feature approximately 500 exhibitors, including superyacht builders, brokerage houses, yacht designers, nautical suppliers, refit shipyards, luxury manufacturers and services providers.

A novel fundraiser saw a street in central Douglas lined with coins when businesses joined forces to raise money for Alzheimer’s.

The venture was the idea of staff at KPMG who have been supporting the Alzheimer’s Society charity during the past year.

The line of coins along the length of the street raised £1,872 bringing the total raised in the year to £27,019.

The cost of laying tarmac on Maine Road in Port Erin could be £21,000 it has been claimed.

Resident Keith McArd wrote to Tim Cowin at the Department of Infrastructure about the figure.

He described the amount as huge, and added: ‘The owners could not afford this work and neither can the government, or so they keep telling us.’

Mr Cowin had written to householders on Maine Road gauging their interest in financing the tarmacing, or adoption, of the road.

Mr McArd said that, at a meeting two years ago, the department said the cost would be £21,000 a frontage. He added vehicle licence tax should pay for all road works.

When Port Erin Commissioners considered the letter, chairman Nick Watterson said: ‘We also have correspondence from another householder with the request if we do all the properties at the end of Maine Road (in a local authority scheme to redevelop housing) it may be a good idea to spend some of the money as a contribution towards doing up that road.’

They agreed to discuss the letter in private.

The department said it is reviewing five responses.

The Department of Economic Development’s director of financial services, John Spellman, will be updating guests at the next Junior Chamber of Commerce event on the current initiatives within the DED.

Mr Spellman’s talk will cover the Isle of Man’s vision for 2020 and explore the strategy for economic success by protecting and enhancing our biggest sector, financial services.

He will also discuss the Enterprise Isle and the driving substance behind it, and how we as an island can ensure we are a good international partner to the rest of the world.

The event on Wednesday, September 23, will also include the JCC’s annual general meeting where this year’s president, chairman and vice-chairman will be announced.

Current chairman Kate Parrish, who joined the JCC in 2013 and became chairman in September 2014, will become this year’s president.

Kate joined the JCC with an aim of making the JCC a platform for the business community to network and to communicate with one another. Kate works for Browne Craine & Co and is the firm’s marketing manager.

Her role as president (and head of marketing & PR within the JCC) will see her work alongside both the chairman and vicechairman to continue to develop the JCC brand across the Isle of Man’s business community.

Vice-chairman Rachael Hooper, who joined the JCC committee in 2014, will become this year’s chairman.

Having qualified as a chartered accountant with a Big Four accountancy firm, Rachael is now a tax manager with SMP Accounting and Tax. Rachael is looking forward to taking on the role of chairman and aims to increase the opportunities that the JCC provides to the local business community, while maintaining the high quality of events that the JCC organise for members and guests each month.

Committee member Richard Smith joined the JCC committee in 2014 after being an active member of the JCC for more than five years.

Richard is going to take on both the vice-chairman and membership officer roles at this year’s AGM, and will be responsible for maintaining and extending the JCC’s extensive corporate and individual members.

Kate said: ‘The last 12 months of being chairman have been fantastic – it has been one of the best things I’ve done. This year has been extremely interesting having worked with business people both locally and internationally.

‘The JCC is all about bringing the Isle of Man business community together and we do this by putting on a wide variety of learning and networking events. I’d like to thank the committee, the JCC’s members and the companies that we have worked with for a thoroughly enjoyable year. I’m looking forward to working with Rachael and Richard in the up-coming year and wish them the best of luck in their new roles.”

To find out more about the JCC and the AGM, go to www.jcc.im

A motorist from Ballaugh has admitted causing the death of his 10-year-old daughter by dangerous driving.

Raymond Adam D’Olier French, aged 46, was driving when his BMW car collided with a bus on the outskirts of Castletown, in October 2013, killing his daughter Alexis and injuring bus driver Donald Richard Faragher. French also admitted causing serious injury to Mr Faragher. A manslaughter charge was dropped. French was due to stand trial starting on October 1 but instead he will now be sentenced on October 30.

Raymond Adam D’Olier French, aged 46, collided with a bus in October 2013, killing his daughter Alexis and injuring bus driver Donald Richard Faragher. A manslaughter charge was dropped. He will be sentenced on October 30.

Public transport bosses say they were not prepared to cancel tram services at short notice to allow a stage of Rally Isle of Man to go ahead.

Stage six of the event, centred on Maughold, was to have taken place last Friday morning. But rally organisers cancelled it after they failed to secure agreement to suspend Manx Electric Railway operations.

Director of public transport Ian Longworth said: ‘The rally organiser arranged an approach with the department to run the rally event whilst the trams were operating.

‘On Wednesday night, the organiser decided they could not honour the agreement they had made with the department. They wanted IoM Transport to cancel tram services at the last moment including several group bookings that had been taken. IoM Transport was not prepared to do this.’

Nick Black, chief executive of the Department of Infrastructure said as part of the road closure order, it had been agreed by rally organisers and the public transport division to jointly man all rail crossing points.

He said: ‘We booked staff for this and made amendments to schedules to minimise disruption.

‘The Director of Highways took a call on Wednesday night from the organisers asking for a full suspension of tram services rather than the agreed manned crossing approach. We quickly realised that we had a number of group bookings on Friday morning and decided that we could not suspend services.

‘We cannot choose between visitors who have booked for the railway and visitors who have booked for the rally. We could have either changed the timetable if we had been asked in good time or they could have chosen a time when there are no services.’

Nicola Horlick, ‘City Superwoman’ and CEO of Money&Co, is to be the guest speaker at the CISI Isle of Man annual dinner, next month.

Horlick has been a leading fund manager in the City of London for more than 30 years.

During that time, she has set up and managed several investment businesses.

She now chairs a private equity business, is CEO of a film-development company, and is a director of an NHS Foundation Trust all while having a vibrant family life and six children.

Jonathan Leece, chartered FCSI and CISI Isle of Man branch president said: ‘We are delighted to have secured Nicola as guest speaker for our annual dinner.

‘Nicola will be sure to provide an incisive and unique insight into her distinguished career in the investment and fund management industry which will undoubtedly be of great interest to our membership and guests.’

The CISI dinner attracts over 100 guests each year from across the local finance industry, as well as key members of government.

It is a celebration of the local, national and global achievements of the CISI as well as a pre-eminent social event for local CISI members and their guests.

This year’s event on Friday, October 16 at the Empree Hotel, Douglas, has kindly been sponsored by M&G Investments. The CISI is the professional body of choice for professionals in the securities and investment industry in the UK and in a growing number of major financial centres globally.

Formed in 1992 by London Stock Exchange practitioners, it has a global community of more than 40,000 members in 121 countries and last year more than 41,000 CISI exams were sat in 73 countries.

The CISI became a Chartered body in 2009 joining the ranks of professional bodies such as the accountants, lawyers and bankers.

The Isle of Man branch has 298 members and celebrated a key milestone last year, when more than 100 of those members became personally chartered.

Tables and individual tickets are available for this dinner by contacting Alexandra Blunden on 020 7645 0717 or at alexandra.blunden@cisi.org.

Not satisfied with having secured first class honours in his degree in chemistry, Anand Patel has also been named University College London (UCL) Sportsman of the Year.

The 21-year-old, whose parents Daxa and Manoj live in Port St Mary, has stuck to a gruelling schedule of intensive study and gymnastics training through mental discipline, determination and a touch of unreality.

‘I had the mind-set of nothing was impossible,’ he said. ‘Reality did not seem to hit me, so I took that to my advantage. There were times in which I was exhausted but I persevered through.’

Anand began gymnastics training at the Manx Gymnastics Centre of Excellence when he was four and a pupil at Scoill Phurt le Moirrey, ‘it was to improve his spatial awareness,’ said Daxa, ‘he kept smacking into people in PE.’

He moved to Castle Rushen High School and King William’s College and his talent for the sport emerged. He represented the island at the Island Games in 2009 (a broken ulna put paid to participation in 2011) and 2013 and at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year. A striking photograph of him on the vault was printed in The Guardian newspaper and will be used in UCL’s prospectus.

To keep up the high level of training required to compete at an international level is, to say the least, impressive, never mind fitting in a degree at one of the UK’s top universities. ‘Training was five to six times per week, four hours per session,’ he said. ‘Studies were inevitably left to be finished after training and I finished training at 9pm and returned to my flat at 10pm.’

Juggling both complemented each other he said. ‘The sport and academic duality significantly helped my focus to do well in both disciplines.

‘Training intensively served as a catalyst to plough through my work. 
‘I can understand why my gymnastics colleagues took a year out to prepare for the Commonwealth Games!’

The island helped him reach his goal in numerous ways he said. ‘The Isle of Man Commonwealth programme ... gave me access to useful facilities, such as psychology and work shops. I particularly worked closely with the psychologist Sian Griffiths. I learned new ways of thinking and planning my time for academics and training.

‘I learned how to manage my time of balancing training and academics. I planned months in advance setting goals that I needed to achieve. If I didn’t stick to the plan then I wouldn’t have been able to be successful in both disciplines.’

His focus now falls on doing an MSc at UCL and continuing with the gymnastics. ‘Gymnastics will always be in my blood and I hope to compete in the next Commonwealth Games 2018.’

Chief Minister Allan Bell has written to the District of Columbia Council to outline his concerns at the island’s inclusion in a blacklist of tax havens.

Washington DC released the list of 39 ‘tax havens’ as part of its Budget Support Act, which was signed by the Mayor in August.

Previously, similar laws had not named jurisdictions, but this year legislators have compiled a list which includes the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey and other offshore centres like the Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Bahamas and Bermuda.

The new Act has to go through a 30-day review period in the US Congress before it becomes law.

Mr Bell has described the Isle of Man’s inclusion in the blacklist as ‘arbitrary and meaningless’.

The issue was raised in Tynwald by Onchan MHK Peter Karran (Lib Van).

In a written reply Mr Bell said it was ‘unfortunate’ the District of Columbia Council did not take the opportunity to consult with the Isle of Man or to research the island’s ‘excellent record’ in complying with international standards on tax transparency.

He said: ‘In writing to the chair of the District of Columbia Council to express concerns at the inclusion of the Isle of Man on this blacklist, I set out the commitment the Isle of Man has made in relation to co-operation and transparency and demonstrated substantial evidence in this regard.

‘I also outlined the Isle of Man’s international tax compliance with the US, so clearly demonstrating why the Isle of Man should not appear on this latest list.

‘Nevertheless, the Isle of Man has no control over the drawing up of arbitrary lists which appear from time to time or the criteria on which they are based, which varies. For example, lists may be drawn up of jurisdictions which have low tax rates.

‘In the US several such arbitrary lists have appeared over the years which have simply been copied without any properly researched rationale or based on the perspective of the political mover of the legislation.’

Work has finally got under way to repair railings along Douglas seafront that were damaged in the storms and high tides at the beginning of last year.

Some work – including rebuilding a section of wall of the marine gardens near the Gaiety Theatre which was destroyed – was carried out last year.

But until now only temporary repairs were made to damaged railings on Queen’s Promenade.

A Department of Infrastructure spokesman explained: ‘The department is managing the contract and supervising work to repair damage to the concrete sea wall structure, wave returns and the railings.

‘Some of the promenade railing repairs were carried out last year and other aspects of the work were held over to this year to be included in a bigger package of planned improvements.’

Douglas was not the only part of the Isle of Man to receive a battering in the storms with flooding and sea wall damage affecting other areas too.

A large hole opened up near the Old Grammar School in Castletown, and there was serious flooding to homes neighbouring the inner harbour.

Repairs also had to be carried out at Mooragh Promenade in Ramsey. It saw the completion of a £200,000 project, including the construction of a 70-metre reinforced concrete barrier.

Valkyrs men’s A team regular Luis Novo-Smith represented England under-18s hockey squad in three international games as part of the Sainsbury’s School Games in Manchester.

Luis, who recently turned 17, has progressed through the local junior hockey ranks and has played at Valkyrs since the age of eight.

He has been part of the development programme organised through the Manx Hockey Association and played for the Isle of Man in the last two county championships.

For the last three years he has been selected to attend the JRPC England Training for Manchester Pumas and has progressed through various levels.

This year he was selected by England Hockey to attend a course of residential camps at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, near Telford, which enables him to obtain an AASE qualification in hockey through Loughborough College. The course not only concentrates on the aspects of hockey and fitness but also nutrition, media and finances. Talks are also given by current England and Great Britain internationals.

The Sainsbury’s School Games saw teams from the home nations and as far afield as Brazil and the Turks and Caicos Islands compete in various sports in an Olympic style competition. Luis was a member of the England (red) boys’ hockey team and played against England (blue), Scotland and Wales.

England (red) lost their first two matches but won their final match in style against Wales 5-0.

He enjoyed the matches and the opening ceremony, as well as being able to watch other sports such as the cycling at Manchester velodrome. It was certainly a once in a lifetime experience for him.

Luis would like to thank Manx Hockey Association and Isle of Man Sport Aid for their support. He is always on the look out for any kind sponsors.

The director of harbours insists there is no shortage of divers to cover emergencies.

Work to inspect and repair a leak in Peel’s sewage outfall pipe had to be delayed last week due to two of the Department of Infrastructure’s divers being on sick leave, and a third being on holiday.

The DoI has three other qualified divers it can call on within its staff but none was available last week to do the job. Safety rules require a minimum of five divers for every assignment.

Michael MHK Alfred Cannan, chairman of the Manx Utilities Authority, said: ‘It seems to be a ridiculous situation that we are unable to facilitate a dive team. We need to ask what would happen if there was an emergency.’

But director of harbours Ann Reynolds said that with one diver back from holiday and another who had been on sick leave returning to work this week, the inspection of was due to take place this week, weather depending.

She said the lack of availability of divers last week was ‘unfortunate’ but due the weather, the earliest an inspection could have been carried out would have been Friday anyway.

She said: ‘We employ five full-time divers and we can call on three others from elsewhere in the department. I am absolutely sure we can provide a team of divers to cover emergencies. We always provide divers, if needed, for the Ben-my-Chree.’

The DoI is looking at the merits of outsourcing its diving operations. Ms Reynolds explained: ‘We have changed many practices and made lots of savings.

‘The only area still left to consider alternative means of service delivery was the diving section.’

A prior information notice was issued in April seeking expressions of interest from providers who could operate the government’s commercial diving service. Ms Reynolds said there had been a dozen responses.

The department then sent out a questionnaire asking for further details, and nine responded, some based on-island and others off-island.

The harbours director said the next stage was to put it out to tender, a process which would take four to six months.

If the costings did not work out, the service would continue to be provided in-house, she said.

And she added: ‘At present, it’s business as usual.’

Team RL360 riders Tara Ferguson and Conor Davies represented the North West Region at the recent

Sainsbury’s School Games in Manchester.

Approximately 1,500 young athletes aged between 14 and 18 took part in the 12 Olympic and Paralympic sports that were included in the event.

Conor and Tara were members of the North West’s eight-strong team - four boys and four girls - competing in the track cycling competition, staged over three action-packed days at the velodrome.

The Manx duo were selected for the endurance events and their performances in those disciplines helped the North West to third place in the overall standings.

The team made a good start, winning the opening day’s skills test ahead of South East and Central.

In the individual events Conor partnered Theo Hartley to the silver medal in the boys’ Madison, finishing seven points behind Yorkshire and two points ahead of South.

The Douglas youngster also finished 12th in the 80-lap points race, 13th in the elimination race and 33rd out of a field of 52 riders in the one-lap time trial.

On the final day he accompanied team-mates Hartley, Chris Heaton and Alistair Leivers to a fine fourth position in the 3,000 metre team pursuit, narrowly missing out to The South in the ride-off for the bronze medal.

In the girls’ events, Tara rode strongly with Georgia Ashworth to grab an impressive sixth in the Madison. She produced another good ride in the points race to take 12th overall, while picking up good 13th and 17th placings in the elimination race and time trial.

In the team pursuit finale, Tara joined her NW companions Ashworth, Lauren Bate-Lowe and Leanne Hall, finishing a respectable seventh out of the 13 teams.

Scotland topped the list in the final points tally, a massive 103 ahead of South, with North West one point further back in third.

l Conor and Tara, who are both members of British Cycling’s Olympic Development Apprentice scheme, would like to thank Isle of Man Sport Aid for the support they received.

Proposals for the first phase of development on the Crossag Farm site in Ballasalla will be on public display today (Wednesday) from 2pm to 7.30pm in the village hall.

The plans are for 35 ‘affordable’ homes – comprising eight two-bed flats, 16 two-bed houses and 11 three-bed houses – to be built on a 4.1-acre site that extends from Douglas Road to the Ronaldsburn stream.

The scheme also incorporates access via a new distributor road and a new controlled junction on the A5 adjacent to the site.

Also on display is an indicative outline master plan for the remainder of the 31-acre site.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said: ‘These plans are aimed at supporting the village of Ballasalla in a carefully managed and sustainable way.

‘It is our intention to bring forward schemes that reflect the needs of the local community. I would encourage as many people as possible to attend the presentation and provide their views to the department.’

Chris Thomas MHK, member of the department with responsibility for housing, added: ‘Everyone needs a home in the community in which they live.

‘The initial phase of the proposed Crossag Farm scheme focuses on the construction of affordable homes.

‘If the village continues to grow, there is also space on this site for a new primary school.’

Officers from the department’s housing division and members of the design team will be on hand to explain the proposals and answer any questions.

Subject to public feedback, the department will submit a planning application for phase one of the development before the end of October.

The department said that transport, environmental, visual impact and ecological assessments have been carried out and the architects have designed a scheme that reflects the character and qualities of the historic heart of the village.

Existing hedgerows and trees will be retained wherever possible to ensure the development blends into its rural setting and to give it the feel of being an established community.

Ramsey Commissioners came out strongly and unanimously opposed a proposal from Ramsey Golf Club for planning approval in principle to build three dwellings on land to the north of the golf club car park.

The board’s objection is based on the fact that the land is zoned as ‘open space’ and not designated for residential development. In addition, there was concern about access to the proposed development, which would be from Brookfield Avenue and through the car park.

The commissioners can’t veto plans. The can only comment on them before they go to the planning committee.