Plans to revamp Sea Terminal arrivals area

Plans look to modernise the baggage reclaim area for ferry passengers

Plans have been put forward to extend and improve the arrivals area at the Sea Terminal in Douglas.

The Department of Infrastructure has lodged designs to raise the roof of the baggage reclaim area and incorporate a new security section.

The dedicated customs and search area has been designed to form part of an ongoing review into port security, the department said.

The new layout aimed to avoid congestion for arrivals where a "pinch point" was created when people stopped in the main thoroughfare to collect bags, it said.

The Isle of Man's ferry port, at the southern end of Douglas Promenade, was built in the mid-1960s.

The plans would see the baggage reclaim area expanded, along with the additional customs and security division, situated before passengers re-entered the main terminal building.

It its application, the department said space was not being fully utilised in the arrivals area "due to its internal access and low headroom".

The plans say a new "flat roof set slightly below the existing main concrete roof level" would be "in-keeping" with the rest of the building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The redesign also follows criticism in recent years that the building is "antiquated" and needs investment.