Decision expected on new Braddan community complex

A decision is expected this week on whether a multi-million pound loan request for a new facility in Braddan has been approved.

Commissioners in the parish want to borrow £6.5m to build a leisure complex on Strang Corner Fields.

A petition was submitted to the Department of Infrastructure last month and will go before Treasury on Wednesday.

The money would be paid back over a 30-year period should the loan get rubber stamped.

Plans for the multi-purpose building include using it as a sports hall, child nursery, and commissioners offices.

Vice chair of the local authority, Christina Corkill, said: "Government is looking for big projects that will help the economy and produce jobs; and this community centre will do exactly that.

"This project has been ongoing in a planning stage for a long time simply because we’ve been going over the figures again and again and again.

"We wanted to be absolutely sure we weren’t going to end up with a white elephant, we were going to end up with something that people really wanted and that would benefit the community immediately."