Lord Street plans approved for government funds

The development would be on the site of the former Lord Street bus station

Plans for a major development at a former Isle of Man bus station have been earmarked for government support.

The scheme at Lord Street, Douglas, which will include 85 apartments, offices and flats, is the fourth project to secure funding.

The project, by Wyyttavin Limited, has been supported in principle for money from the Island Infrastructure Scheme.

Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston said it would "rejuvenate this site in lower Douglas into a vibrant space".

The project is expected to take two years to complete if planning permission is granted

The firm agreed to buy the site from Lord Street Developments SPV Limited, subject to planning permission for the complex being approved.

The agreement is subject to planning permission for the complex being approved.

The developer said that with the agreement of the Department of Infrastructure, the plans did not include any requirement for affordable housing, or the payment of a commuted sum, due to the "significant investment" in bus facilities.

Other developments backed by the government’s Island Infrastructure Scheme are the Tevir Groups’s plans for a complex on the former Villiers hotel site on Loch Promenade and apartments on the site of the former Ocean Castle Hotel site in Port Erin.

Dandara’s scheme for apartments on Lake Road in Douglas has also received backing in principle from the scheme, which was created to act as a catalyst for private investment in the redevelopment of brownfield sites.

Part of the development would look out over the Douglas Marina

The Lord Street site was used as a car park for several years after the bus station was demolished 12 years ago.

In 2020, it was bought by Lord Street Developments SPV Limited, with Kane Ltd acting as a guarantor.

Previous plans by Kane Ltd, which included an 80-bedroom hotel, six-storey car park and seven-screen cinema complex as well as some bus passenger and driver facilities, were approved in July 2019 but never progressed.

The complex would include 91 parking spaces for residents of the apartments

In a statement, Wyyttavin Limited said its "key goal" was to "transform the site by creating an architectural landmark of stature and elegance within a high-quality, sustainable urban setting".

It would create a "superior place to live and to work, a vibrant place to meet and socialise, and a location from which to travel across the Island from the new, modern bus network hub", it added.

Mr Johnson said the support on offer was designed to "accelerate the development of privately owned and unoccupied brownfield sites into buildings which contribute to the economic growth, prosperity, vibrancy, and sustainability of the island".