Minister admits tram site demolition announcement was 'too hasty'

An engineer will conduct an independent assessment of the site

Plans to demolish a protected building in Douglas were announced "with a bit too much haste", the infrastructure minister has said.

Tim Crookall's department recently backtracked over a proposal to knock down Tramway Terrace due to concerns about its safety.

Heritage campaigners raised concerns this was an "excuse" to demolish part of the 1878 horse tram stable complex.

But Mr Crookall insisted that was "absolutely not the case".

The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) had said it was seeking a contractor to demolish the registered building, but has since clarified demolition was "not necessarily the case".

Mr Crookall said the initial announcement was made with haste, and admitted the department "probably should have checked the wording".

"If we have upset anybody then I apologise, we will certainly look at the building and if it doesn't have to come down it won't come down," he said.

'Raised the alarm'

An independent engineer has been asked by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture to assess the condition of the building.

The DOI's own assessments concluded the building had deteriorated due to a recent period of bad weather and had become unsafe.

Mr Crookall said a chimney pot on the terrace had recently fallen through the roof and floor of the building, which had "raised the alarm".

Scaffolding has been placed around the site, while the adjacent footpath has been closed to the public.

Mr Crookall said the DOI was waiting for the independent report on the building's condition to see what was "best in terms of safety and finances".

Although the building was part of the "horse tram story", if it would cost a "ridiculous" amount to preserve the government would have to be "realistic", he added.

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