Douglas 'Berlin Wall' sea defences proposals rejected

The infrastructure department said it would come back with revised plans

Plans for a sea defence structure likened to the Berlin Wall along Douglas promenade have been rejected.

Proposals for the 1,600ft (500m) concrete wall to shield against waves were submitted in September but criticised amid concerns about how it could obscure the view.

A lack of information about how water would return to the sea was another reason the project was turned down.

The infrastructure department said it was working to "address concerns".

A spokesman said the department would be submitting a revised plan "in due course".

Douglas Council's environmental services committee was among the bodies which objected to the plans, with chairman Ritchie McNicholl labelling the design "a plain, concrete nondescript wall".

He said: "They knocked better down in Berlin when they broke the wall there".

Mr McNicholl said he welcomed the refusal decision, which he considered to be "ill thought out and without anything to endear it to the general public or visitors".

He added: "The majestic sweep of Douglas Bay would be hidden for nearly a third of it. This is not a temporary wall, but would be visible for a long time to come."