The Lord Street bus station car park will be closed to the public from this Sunday (June 22) - in a move that could prove an important milestone in the long-awaited redevelopment of the site.
A new planning application (25/90516/B) for a major redevelopment of the long-vacant site was resubmitted towards the end of May.
But Lord Street Development SPV Ltd, which had previously been involved in a redevelopment of the site and were also involved in the Wyttavvin application, resubmitted a proposal for the same development.
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Controversially, it includes plans for one of the planned apartment blocks to be up to 14-storeys high, making it one of the tallest buildings in Douglas.
Billed as a ‘landmark, leisure-led mixed use scheme’ it will include a four-screen cinema, office space, commercial units, bus facilities, 85 residential apartments and parking.
The developer said that all unauthorised vehicles must be removed from the car park by 6pm on Sunday, after which access will be restricted by locked barriers.
It said the closure marks a key step forward in a project that has been many years in the making.
‘Despite significant delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, two extended planning processes, and the sudden death of a key team member, the team is hopeful that construction work will commence before the end of this year,’ it added.
A spokesperson said: ‘Huge efforts from all involved have always been directed toward bringing this strategically located but under-utilised site into active use that benefits Douglas and the wider island.
‘We are now entering the final stages of the planning process and remain optimistic that the town will soon benefit from a comprehensive regeneration scheme - including vastly improved public transport infrastructure, modern office accommodation, a cinema, and a vibrant mix of retail, food and residential spaces.’
The proposed scheme includes new bus station facilities including new indoor waiting room for passengers and a driver welfare suite.
The island’s central bus station was demolished under a 2001 planning permission which also permitted the creation of a ‘temporary’ pay and display car park. It has been a car park ever since.
Lord Street Development SPV Limited bought the site from the Department of Infrastructure back in 2017.
It secured planning permission in July 2019 for a mixed use development including a seven-screen cinema, 80 bedroom hotel, 20 residential apartments, three restaurant/cafe units, four retail units, an information centre, public toilets, a drivers' five bus stances with waiting areas and multi storey car park.
This planning permission has since lapsed.
Although the new application includes proposals for a four-screen cinema, the accompanying planning statement refers to a three-screen multiplex operating over three levels.
It describes the multiplex cinema as a key component of the proposals and one which it says will deliver a ‘high quality modern cinema experience for the island showing the latest releases’.