Port St Mary Commissioners are looking to install a changing area for people using Chapel Beach.

The local authority has drawn up provisional plans for the facility to include two changing rooms, a bench and public toilet overlooking the beach for sea swimmers and visitors.

It could feature a roof and have hooks behind the bench for towels and coats to be stored whilst using the changing area.

Commissioner David Scott said he had spoken with a local architect firm who had drawn up the provisional plans for chapel beach.

He told the board that the next step is to establish who owns the land around the outside of the beach so the company can establish costs and the commissioners can get quotes.

Mr Scott said the architects also need to know what infrastructure is around the beach to understand how ‘complex’ a planning application could be.

Also on the agenda during the local authority’s latest meeting was a decision about whether to install ‘mental health benches’ around the port.

The board were told by Deputy Clerk Mark Kemp that the charity Ed Space were offering the brightly coloured seats up as a way to encourage people to talk to each other.

Mr Scott queried whether people would use them, however Mr Kemp said poor mental health is a ‘significant problem’ in the island.

He added the commissioners could put out some social media posts to make residents aware of what they are.

Commissioner Lawrence Vaughn-Williams added that, in his professional experience, he has seen the benefit of early intervention in people’s mental health and how it can seriously help people.

The board then agreed to have three benches installed around the port.