EP7

Mount Murray Golf Club

• Onchan Park
• West Baldwin Reservoir Car Park
• Clypse Kerrowdhoo Reservoir Car Park
• Conrhenny Car Park
• Ballanette Nature Reserve
• Axnfell Plantation

Natural Environment Proposal 7

Proposals for development in the vicinity of Dark Sky Discovery Sites are to have minimal outdoor lighting and be encouraged to have a design response which is non-intrusive into the darkness of night. Baffling and directionality of lighting must be sensitive to contain any necessary lighting within a subject site only.

Watercourses and Wetlands

The collection of hills in the East has produced a network of mountain streams which gradually join and widen to become the rivers flowing out into Douglas Bay, Port Groudle and Laxey Bay. Several of these rivers form the natural boundaries between the Eastern Parishes.

A non-exhaustive list of streams and rivers in the East includes:

• Crammag River
• Injebreck River
• Creg-y-Cowin River
• West Baldwin River
• Awin Ny Darragh
• Baldwin River
• River Glass
• Greeba River
• River Dhoo
• Santon Burn
• Crogga River
• Middle River
• Laxey River
• Glenroy River
• Groudle River
• Ballacottier River
• River Douglas

It is likely that these streams and rivers, similar to most of the Island's watercourses, support populations of European Eels - classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered - and Brown Trout. Most rivers with good fish passage from the sea, including the Dhoo, Glass, Laxey and Santon Burn, contain populations of salmon and sea trout. The Dhoo and Glass are known also to support populations of brook (and possibly river) lamprey. Many of the tributary streams to the major rivers, although small, provide valuable additional spawning and nursery areas for salmonids and lampreys.

There are four reservoirs in the East: Eairy Dam, Injebreck, Clypse and Kerrowdhoo. The proposals in this plan for additional housing in the East are likely to have an impact on the water levels in these reservoirs and consequently on the compensation flows within the downstream rivers. DEFA reports that in recent years there has been evidence of low summer flow below Injebreck reservoir in the River Glass. It is suggested that any reduction in flow in the River Glass could have consequences for the ecology of the river, including fish populations. DEFA has highlighted evidence that artificial light from new housing close to rivers may have a detrimental impact on migratory salmonids.

The reservoirs in the East are home to wild brown trout and Injebreck, Clypse and Kerrowdhoo are stocked with rainbow trout for visiting anglers. This Plan recognises that the economic value of the recreational fishing industry depends both on healthy fish stocks and high recreation and visual amenity.

The ecological services provided by the Island's watercourses and wetlands are considerable, including carbon storage and natural flood mitigation. An undeveloped corridor of land between the river bank (measured from the edge of the river channel) and any riverside development is required to allow for natural changes in the position of the river channel, as well as in water levels. The natural vegetation and physical structure of a river bank also provides a wildlife corridor for non-aquatic species.

Natural Environment Proposal 8

Proposals for new development in the Plan Area which intend a connection to the Injebreck Reservoir for its water supply must demonstrate that as a consequence of this new development, water levels will not be so affected as to have a detrimental effect on normal flows.

Natural Environment Recommendation 2

It is recommended that ahead of making any applications for development close to the reservoirs, watercourses and wetlands in the East, applicants must discuss such proposals with DEFA to establish the need for specific design elements to be taken into account. This may include: the impact of artificial light from the development on migratory fish species, buffer distances from the river bank and visual amenity.

Marine Protected Areas and Marine Conservation Zones

Increased efforts are being made to protect the health and biodiversity of the marine environment as well as the economic and social benefits which effective management of marine resources brings.

Marine protected areas are areas of the sea that are protected from fishing and other impacts, with the aim of restoring habitats and supporting sustainable fisheries. The Isle of Man currently has ten Marine Protected Areas around our coast, encompassing 10.4% of Manx waters. One of these is the Sea Fisheries Restricted Area at Laxey Bay which was established in 2009 with the intention of enhancing the scallop stock and later seeded with juvenile scallops.

In 2008, Douglas Bay closed to mobile fishing gear. Its current status is as a Marine Conservation Zone, though there is an intention to designate the Bay as a Marine Nature Reserve. Marine Nature Reserves are designated to conserve their flora,