Plans for an interactive Viking settlement in the north of the island have been given more time to get off the ground.

Chris Hall’s application (21/01308/B) to build an authentic Norse settlement in fields off Jurby Road in Sandygate received unanimous support from the planning committee in July 2022.

A condition of the consent was that work on phase two of the Kattegat project should be completed within two years.

But the planning committee heard that wet ground conditions had made it difficult for the applicant to progress the build as soon as they had wanted.

And the committee at its meeting on Monday agreed a variation of that condition to allow a further three years for the project to be completed.

Mr Hall’s plan is to create an authentic Viking village and settlement for the purposes of education and entertainment.

It includes a long house or Chieftain’s Hall which would be used as a classroom and for functions, as well as a blacksmith’s forge, workshop, cafe, shop and ticket shed building as well as a new access road onto Jurby Road and a 43-space car park and coach drop-off.

In an area called ‘FolkVangr’, Mr Hall plans to recreate an authentic Norse farmstead with a stone barn, small holding and animal pens.

The site will open on an as-required basis for example for open days, weekends, weekday workshops, talks, school trips or corporate team building events and functions such as weddings.

Mr Hall will be the only full-time member of staff and all the attractions/workshops and stalls will be run independently by other traders/artisans.

In his application, he stated: ‘The island Norse heritage has always intrigued me and I have a keen interest in Norse/Viking history and mythology.

‘There is little in the way of interactive historical attractions on the Isle of Man, and not very much to celebrate our Norse history.’

He said this will be a private venture which will be run as a 'non-profit' project, with self-employed crafts people who will provide specialist interactive workshops around the site.

The company that will run the site, The Manx Viking Project Ltd, has become a registered charity.

Mr Hall told Media Isle of Man that he was hoping to move forward with plans as soon as possible but needed to raise about £15,000 to pay for all the equipment needed.

He said the project had all the timber it needed. This has been made available from a plantation out at Cornaa but needed to be transported to the site and processed.

A compound is being prepared in a back field to store the timber ahead of construction of the first buildings beginning hopefully in April next year, he said.