No fewer than 13 buildings are being proposed to be given listed status, protecting them from demolition and unsympathetic alterations.
Among them are the Legislative Chambers and a series of structures linked to the island’s heritage transport including the Steam Railway workshops, the Manx Electric Railway viaducts at Groudle, Laxey and Ballure, Kirk Michael fire station (the village’s former Manx Northern Railway station), and Peel’s former railway station as now incorporated in the House of Manannan.
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has given notice that it proposes to enter each in the Protected Buildings Register as being of special architectural or historic interest.
If approved, the effect of registration is to restrict the demolition, alteration or extension of the building without the consent of the department.
Views on the proposals have to be submitted to the registered buildings officer no later than August 15.
The application for the Legislative Buildings include the three historic legislative chambers together with their entrance lobby on Bucks Road, as well as the former Bank of Mona Building known as the ‘Wedding Cake’.
It is proposed that the modern additions above the chambers and along Finch Road are excluded from any registration.

The application for the Douglas railway workshops specifies the fitting shop, blacksmith’s shop, stores, locomotive running shed, upholstery shop, joinery shop, paint shop, former crew bothy coach body, permanent way store, tank house and water tanks.
Much of it dates back to the 1890s and includes historical machinery powered by a belt system connected to an overhead line-shaft that runs down the length of the building. Until 1955 this was powered by a single-cylinder stationary steam installed in 1920 and which survives to this day.
The application states: ‘Despite the shifting fortunes of the Isle of Man Railway since its opening, the historic workshop complex has survived substantially intact.’

DEFA’s planning and building control has also been asked to survey the signal box at Douglas railway station as a candidate for inclusion into the Register of Protected Buildings.
Although no longer connected to the points or signals, the box is opened for special events and forms part of the tours around the historic station.
Some would argue protected building status has come too late for Peel’s former railway station.
Much of the station site was demolished in the late 1990s when the House of Manannan was constructed but the former goods shed and main station building were incorporated into the museum complex.
The former office is used as a café, while the booking hall and ladies’ waiting area are used to house temporary exhibitions, while the old goods shed now houses a presentation gallery.
A portion of the canopy that initially ran across the full length of the south-western platform frontage has been retained and incorporated in to the courtyard outside the museum entrance.
Monks Bridge in Ballasalla is also proposed to be listed.
The structure is the only medieval bridge in the island, and is thought to date from the 12th century when Rushen Abbey was founded.
Other buildings being proposed to be registered at the former School of Art on Kensington Road, Douglas, the Royal Chapel in St John’s, Moore’s Bridge in Laxey, the Stone Bridge in Ramsey, and the MER viaducts at Laxey, Ballure and Groudle.
