Businessman Trevor Hemmings fears a gaming company may start looking elsewhere in other countries because of a government ’stumbling block’ in Ramsey.

Mr Hemmings spoke out after a petition was yesterday (Wednesday) presented to a government minister calling for the ’eyesore’ former farmers’ combine warehouse building to be taken off the protected buildings register.

Mr Hemmings, who is based in the north of the island, had been planning to demolish the building next to the site of the former Barry Curran motors showroom.

He has high hopes the site can be developed for offices and an online gaming company has already indicated it is interested in coming to Ramsey with the potential of around 250 jobs.

But DEFA (the government’s Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture) presented an order placing the derelict building on the protected buildings register. It was served on one of Mr Hemmings’ business interests, Shearwater Properties Limited, based in Ramsey.

Mr Hemmings has officially applied for the building to be de-registered.

Julie Billingsley, from Bride, presented the petition, with more than 600 names, to DEFA minister Geoffrey Boot.

She was accompanied by her partner Henry Sage, a builder, who agreed with her that the building no longer serves any useful purpose.

Miss Billingsley believes the decision to place the building on the protected building register was ’crazy.’

She said the building was an ’eyesore’ and added: ’Development of brownfield sites should be encouraged. I’m sure the people of Ramsey would rather see the area regenerated and improved and I’m pleased so many people have signed the petition. The proposed development will provide employment to the town.’

Mr Boot was accompanied by Jennifer Chance, director of planning and building control. She told the Manx Independent the petition will be considered as part of the application to de-register the building.

Miss Chance said: ’We have received an application to de-register that building. The petition we have received today will be taken into consideration as part of that application to de-register the building.

’Once that application has been determined, depending on what that determination is, there is the potential for an appeal.’

She agreed that the process could take as long as eight to 10 weeks.

Business News asked what merits this building had that determine it suitable to be protected.

Miss Chance said: ’There was a report that set out the merits of that building.

’It is one of the last quayside buildings in Ramsey, notably from Ramsey’s history, and that is one of the reasons for its registration.’

MinisterMr Boot said: ’We were furnished with a report at department level and that was put to the political team, and we looked at all the evidence.

’It was a unanimous decision across the political team that we register it based on the recommendations from our heritage buildings registration officer.

’So it was not taken lightly, it was taken in the face of a full report and looking at all the evidence that was before us.’

Speaking from his office at the Ballaseyr stud in Andreas, Mr Hemmings confirmed he had applied for the de-registration of the building and said: ’It should never have been registered in the first place.’

He added: ’I’m trying to invest in the island and I am being prevented from doing so by stumbling blocks such as this.’

He said he feared there was now a real danger that the company which has shown a keen interest in settling in Ramsey, will move elsewhere and could start looking at going to other juridictions.

He added: ’There is now a real risk that this will happen.’

Kathryn Revitt, chief executive of Mr Hemmings’s business interests, said a structural engineer’s report indicated the building

had no future and there was no viability in it continuing to remain.

There were also real safety issues.

Among those backing Mr Hemmings is Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan MHK for Ayre and Michael, who said he could not see why the building should be protected.