The Department of Infrastructure failed to follow correct procedures and gave misleading advice during a dispute over unauthorised flood works in Laxey.
The Tynwald Commissioner for Administration’s investigation centred on a concrete patio structure built on Glen Road, as part of river defence works.
The owner of a neighbouring house complained that the structure, built without planning permission, compromised privacy and obstructed the river.
Chief Officer Emily Curphey admitted in February 2025 that the department had “fallen short of our usual high standards of service” and that the Flood Management Team “did not follow its own guidance in respect of planning”.
Commissioner Paul Beckett found markers of procedural maladministration, including that officers acted on an undocumented “historical commitment” to retain a patio, without proper authorisation
Disingenuous
Mr Beckett also found that a claim by an officer that the decision to install the new structure followed “professional assessment” was “disingenuous,” adding: “There had been no professional assessment of the possibility or consequences of installing a new structure.”
The department’s complaint review was further described as “overly brief, uninformative to the point of lacking substance, and dismissive in tone.”
It also disputed the Ombudsman’s authority to investigate, but the Commissioner dismissed those arguments as “entirely without merit”.