After several years of talks, rows, arguments, campaigns, a public inquiry and two Tynwald sittings, the Area Plan for the East has finally been adopted.
Tynwald members spent approaching three hours on the motion that brought the area plan into law this week, having spent five hours on it last month.
Its passage was quite comfortable in the end with only six MHKs and one MLC voting against.
While members were unable to alter the area plan in any way, an amendment by Clare Barber (Douglas East) has committed the government to several steps including publishing broad feasability studies for each of the comprehensive treatment areas within the next 12 months.
Mrs Barber’s amendment also calls on the Cabinet Office to release a strategic reserve site by 2025 and to then seek the view of Tynwald on this.
The government will also be required to bring the island’s strategic plan to Tynwald for an update in 2023, which will be after the next Census.
Concerns raised throughout the debate by Bill Shimmins (Middle) and Chris Robertshaw (Douglas East) and others were batted away by Ministers as one by one they stood up to defend the controversial plan and attack their former colleague Chris Thomas (Douglas Central).
With the area plan passed by Tynwald, the potential of a legal challenge still exists. When inspector Michael Hurley (pictured) opened the inquiry in September 2019, a representative of the Cabinet Office agreed that any decision or recommendation made for the plan could be challenged in the courts, even after a vote by Tynwald.