Demolition of former Laxey cafe 'a major improvement'

Work to knock the building down started last week

The demolition of an old cafe on Laxey Promenade is a "major" step towards improving the area, the local authority has said.

The End Cafe has been derelict for several years.

Work on the site, which is adjacent to land owned by Garff Commissioners, started last week.

Commissioner Marinda Faragher said the removal of the building was a "big relief" to the board and other people in the area.

Several planning applications have been made to redevelop the site over the past 20 years.

An application to extend permission to redevelop the site is still pending

Permission was last granted for the demolition and the construction of four dwellings in 2018, and the removal of the existing building was given the green light again in January.

A renewed application for a four-year extension to the permission to redevelop the site, submitted in September, is still pending.

Conditions relating to the stability of the cliff behind the building were previously placed on any progress with work on the site, which is privately owned.

Ms Faragher told the Local Democracy Reporting Service although it was still unclear whether the plot would be redeveloped, the demolition would create "an area hopefully that everyone can enjoy".

Knocking the building down could create better access to the far end of the promenade in the future, she added.