The DoI Minister has told MHKs that no decision has been made on whether to improve the TT Access Road or provide alternative routes.
Infrastructure Minister Dr Michelle Haywood stated her department has no plans to progress any specific scheme at this time, other than to maintain the existing access road to a reasonable standard.
Responding to a question from Chris Thomas, the minister said that while many options have been considered, she does “not intend to release further details of all the options that have been considered as they remain part of ongoing and future policy development”.
She added that “no capital costs have been committed and no funding allocations have been made for major infrastructure works relating to the TT access road”.
Legal Requirement
Mr Thomas challenged Dr Haywood on public trust, citing a legal requirement within the Area Plan for the East for design proposals to have been drawn up by 2026.
He asked if the public can “have any trust any promises made Around TT access road and transport improvements, given the league the legal requirement to have made made improvements in the last five years and the absence of them”.
Tim Crookall also highlighted the Radcliffe Villas site on Glencrutchery Road as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for a new access road.
Julie Edge questioned why the minister would not publish the options, noting some were already publicly known. However, Dr Haywood told Keys that it is “not policy to publish documents that are still subject to policy considerations”.
Kate Lord-Brennan followed by asking if the minister was “content that Tynwald should be blind and the planning system should be blind to the very key infrastructure matters”.
Dr Haywood replied that she was “content that we haven’t made a decision yet, and so until we’ve made a decision, we won’t be sharing that decision.”