'There's a site sat there doing nothing': Former minister and committee chair at odds over Summerland

Application refusal 'was based on five clear and substantive planning reasons'

Earlier this week, an application which would have allowed temporary parking on the former Summerland site was rejected by the planning committee.

Submitted by the Department of Infrastructure under the tenure of former minister Dr Michelle Haywood, it was argued its approval would've benefited commuters who could walk or cycle into work, visitors using the horse trams, and people frequenting local businesses.

But Chair of the Planning Committee Rob Callister maintained that he was ‘surprised’ the application had been brought forward at all - as it breached roughly five departmental policies.

Following the application's outcome, both sides took to social media to voice their views:

The Rushen MHK stated that there is a clear lack of parking at the northern end of the prom, that the site has been used for that purpose before, and that it was 'total nonsense' to say the application blocks the land from being developed.

She told Manx Radio the application was 'really a move to say, well we're actively still marketing the site, but whilst that's going on, why not use it for the benefit of the people that live nearby?':

Meanwhile, Onchan MHK and Chair of the Planning Committee, Rob Callister, took to his own Facebook to say he was 'disappointed that a former DOI Minister had chosen to criticise, via social media, the Planning Committee’s decision'.

We asked him to explain why the plans didn't get the green light: