The government is being asked to release more land for building.

The call has come from the Island's largest construction firm Dandara as it celebrates 20 years on the Isle of Man.

Twelve per cent of Manx residents now live in a home built by the company, but director Seamus Nugent says in many parts of the Island there is now nowhere to build, despite a need for more housing.

He told Manx Radio:

"There is no land to build family housing in the east of the Island or the south of the Island, where the majority of the jobs are, and the majority of the people want to live.

"And, if we have to wait for the local plan system to come around, and then further planning permission and everything else, the lead in time is four or five years.

"It is just beyond to be honest to think there will be no housing built in Douglas, or the south of the Island, or the east of the Island for four or five years, when the industry desperately needs work now and first time buyers need to be able to get on the housing ladder.

"There is schemes there from government to help people get on the first time buyer ladder, but there's no houses available to put the houses on."

Chief Minister Tony Brown says making more land available is always a balancing act between community acceptability and what the Island needs by way of infrastructure.

He explained:

"We have a process to go through which takes us forward for development plans, for zoning land and I think there has to be tolerence on all sides.

"Let's be fair about it, whether it's Dandara or anybody else, government included, even when land is zoned people object to the applications because often they don't want to see development in their area."