MHK Graham Cregeen has vowed to fight for changes over planning notices that are difficult to spot in rural areas.

He was alerted by one of his constituents to a notice pinned on a tree, partly hidden by greenery, on a busy road with no pavement at St Mark’s.

The Arbory, Castletown and Malew representative said: ’In the rural areas, it does flag up an issue that you could miss these planning applications.’

Now he has vowed to take up the issue with the Environment minister Geoffrey Boot MHK and planning committee chairman Martyn Perkins MHK to see if changes could be considered.

The planning notice relates to the creation of vehicle access but in the details of the application (20/01215/B) there are also plans outlined to fell more than 30 mature trees, including elms on either side of the A26 Braaid Road at St Marks near Ballavarvane Farm.

The application was approved on June 1 and becomes final after 21 days.

Mr Cregeen believes that ’being able to demonstrate that a notice has been put in a prominent place should be part of the application.

’In future I think we are going to have to change how that’s done.

’I suppose in most places if you are in a built-up area people would see it (planning notice) on a housing estate. In fact I have had very few complaints from people in built-up areas saying they have not seen planning applications but in some of the rural areas I believe it is becoming more difficult and it is an issue.’

Mr Cregeen pointed out the notice to the Manx Independent as morning commuter traffic roared past yesterday (Wednesday). He said: ’I suppose you could say it is facing the highway but I doubt whether many people are going to see this.’

Mr Cregeen added residents had a right to be more aware of what was happening on planning matters.

He said: ’One of the things I will be doing is talking to Mr Boot and Mr Perkins to see whether there is anything we can do to make sure there is a better way of advertising these notices.’

He said when applications go before the planning committee he hoped ’it may be a case that the applicant has to demonstrate where they are putting the notices up. I think what most people are going to expect to get is a notice on a post not a notice that goes on a tree where you have got greenery growing up and hiding it.’

He said the canopy of mature trees was a beautiful feature and while the applicants have said they will replant a lot of trees he believed it would be many years before they replaced what had gone. He likened the canopy of trees as similar to the scene at the Fairy Bridge and he feared there could be a ’scar on the landscape’.

Mr Cregeen stressed his main issue is the way planning notices are publicised.

’You might not win the battle on a planning issue but I think it is important that people should have the opportunity to express any concerns.’

The application was for the creation of new vehicle access to Ballavarvane farm on the Braaid Road, St Marks in the parish of Malew. The application date was November, 2020. The decision to permit the plans was made on June 1. The online details of the decision say ’whilst this decision is confirmed it does not become final until 21 days after the notice was issued and the window for lodging an appeal has closed, and (if any) appeal has been later determined.’