Roundhouse access road works to begin next month

Work on an access road to a Manx community and leisure centre is set to begin next month after an eight-month dispute between government and the local authority.

Paperwork for the sale of land close to the £9.4m Roundhouse to create access away from hospital grounds has been signed by Braddan Commissioners and the health department.

The local authority has confirmed the £220,000 construction works, set to take up to 12 weeks, could start in early September, subject to designs being finalised.

Chairman Andrew Jessopp said he was "relieved" as it meant the commissioners were "one step closer to the development being fully operational".

Access to the building had been disputed between the commissioners, the Department of Health and Social Care and Manx Care, with the government refusing to grant access to the community centre through Noble's Hospital grounds.

The new agreement has seen the local authority pay £250 for land to build a separate road to the facility, with the government taking ownership of parcels of land around the hospital owned by the commissioners.

The final steps of the process will see the area registered with the land registry and the deeds signed by both parties.

Mr Jessop said it was "very useful that we’ve come to the point that we’ve been able to move past our differences and crack on with the work at the earliest possible opportunity".

The move would "make our lives a lot easier on many levels, as we will have full control over our own access", he said.

At a recent meeting, the board agreed discussions over the out-of-hours use of the nearby Palatine Health Centre's car park would continue separately.

Mr Jessopp had previously said he wanted details to be included in the trade.

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