New report finds historical Isle of Man tram building can be saved

The public footpath along Tramway Terrace has been closed due to safety concerns

A protected 19th Century building in the Isle of Man's capital which has been under threat of demolition can be saved, engineers have found.

An independent survey found Tramway Terrace, part of the 1877 Douglas horse tram complex, "is repairable".

The Department of Infrastructure now intends to work on the site after making a u-turn on previous plans to demolish it over "safety concerns".

Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall said he wanted a "positive outcome".

The specialist conservation report into the state of the government-owned building, commissioned by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defa), found some areas required "urgent work".

But it concluded the terrace could be preserved, which is contrary to a Department of Infrastructure (DOI) survey done earlier this year.

Water ingress

The DOI had looked set to demolish the protected building after seeking a contractor to undertake the work, but has since backtracked on that position.

Heritage campaigners had objected to the plans over concerns the government was trying to avoid seeking planning consent to demolish the site, which Mr Crookall denied.

A spokesman for the DOI said actions would now be taken to protect the building in the short term, including tackling problems with water ingress.

Mr Crookall said his department would also look at what could be done to secure the building's long term future.

Initial safety concerns had "correctly triggered the tender process for possible demolition", but the new report's findings meant this would now be paused, he added.

Defa minister Clare Barber said demolishing a registered building was a "last resort" after other options had been "robustly considered".

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