Temporary Summerland home for tram horses approved

More than 20 working horses are used on a rotational system to pull the trams

Revised plans for a new home for horses used to pull the Isle of Man's trams have been approved.

The temporary facility includes stables and tram sheds for 18 horses and 11 staff on the vacant Summerland site in King Edward Road, Douglas.

Current stables used since 1877 are in need of major repairs.

No date has been set for the building works which include a hay store and parking. Once completed it will be used for up to five years.

The Summerland site, a former tourist attraction, has been vacant since a leisure centre on the premises was demolished in 2005.

It was the second leisure centre to be built on the site after fire swept through the original building on 2 August 1973 - killing 50 people.

The Department of Infrastructure took over the operation of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway from Douglas Borough Council in April 2016.

An Infrastructure spokesman said the stables are required to enable the tramway to operate in the short term.