Plans have now been submitted (22/00549/B) for a ‘campus facility’ to serve as the new headquarters for King Gaming Limited at the site of the former Cunningham holiday camp in Douglas.

While those behind the application touted it as ‘the largest single private investment’ in the island which would create 300 jobs here, details in the application state that these employees ‘typically emanate from the Far East and will be employed on the island under a Transfer Visa Scheme’.

Around a third of the online gambling company’s workforce of 330 would be housed in the living accommodation that is part of the development.

In addition to the 3,305 square metres of office space would be a restaurant and cafe (which would also be open to the general public), collaborative working areas, and a gym/mindfulness area.

An accompanying planning statement described the worker’s situation as part of the reason for only needing 80 car parking spaces: ‘It is considered that the temporary employment nature of the operation of the site will result in the employees being unlikely to have their own cars and whilst there will be a pool car system in operation, they will not have to leave the site for work purposes.

‘The proposed operator of the campus has a cycle hire system in some of their offices in the Far East and a similar scheme could be introduced here’.

The brownfield site, which is situated next to Shoprite’s headquarters, was also used as a First World War internment camp and Second World War Royal Navy training facility.

It was most recently occupied by holiday accommodation, and has in recent years been the subject of several planning applications, such as for office blocks, a business science park, a hotel and a business technology park.

The modern-style building would be designed by Amsterdam-based architects HofmanDujardin, which have also carried out work for Google and Netflix.

It has been ‘designed to be seen above the tree canopy and has a curved roof profile which, with the slightly curved front facade reflects the curve of the bay’.

‘The office building will be finished with a predominance of glass with rounded corners and will reflect the sky during day time,’ the statement adds.

‘The top two floors will be provided in the form of three penthouses and hospitality suite for the office owner and their visitors.’

The company says that these buildings will ‘represent the best of architecture and design and provide an inspirational environment that will showcase the quality of the architecture and aspiration of the Isle of Man as a home for international business’, and represent a ‘significant investment’ in the island which will generate construction jobs during the build process.