Lower Douglas bus facilities are set for an upgrade after Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall confirmed plans for a two-site improvement scheme, while admitting the long-awaited Lord Street development remains delayed.

Addressing Tynwald during its final sitting of the current administration, Mr Crookall outlined the department’s interim solution to improve passenger facilities in the capital while the future of the Lord Street redevelopment remains uncertain.

The proposed £735,837 package will see new bus stands and shelters introduced on Victoria Street, alongside upgraded shelters at the Bottleneck car park.

The scheme will include improved lighting, seating, Wi-Fi access and real-time passenger information screens, with additional displays planned inside the Sea Terminal.

Mr Crookall apologised for previous missed deadlines but said the department had now reached a position where it could progress the plans.

A report presented to Tynwald earlier this year considered five possible options, including two schemes involving the Sea Terminal.

One proposal, costing an estimated £936,000, would have involved redeveloping the Sea Terminal’s front car park to create two bus stops, while using the main terminal building as a waiting area.

A larger £2.3m option would have created four bus stops in the rear car park, again using the terminal building for passengers.

However, the report concluded both options were ‘operationally constrained, less safe, and disproportionately expensive’.

A £2.4m proposal to create a waiting room and public facilities at the Bottleneck was also rejected, with the report stating the cost was not proportionate given the planned Lord Street development.

The preferred scheme, the report said, provides a ‘practical, affordable and deliverable set of improvements’ while meeting the immediate need for better passenger facilities.

The Bottleneck improvements would also support horse tram passengers if the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway is extended back to the Sea Terminal.

The proposals come after a Tynwald motion from Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher two years ago calling for the re-establishment of proper bus passenger facilities in Douglas as a priority.

The long-term solution remains the redevelopment of the former Lord Street bus station site, which was given approval earlier this year.

The multi-million-pound development is set to include a multiscreen cinema, flats, retail, leisure and restaurant units, office space and new bus passenger facilities.

However, the project has been described as ‘significantly overdue’, with no clear construction start date and an expectation that it will take several years to complete.

Mr Crookall said the interim plans were designed to provide improvements while waiting for the wider development.

Members questioned the delays, planning risks and whether splitting facilities between two locations could cause confusion for passengers.

Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper criticised the lack of a full debate on the plans, saying the proposals appeared largely unchanged from earlier drafts.

Mr Crookall said the department had been ‘finessing’ the details and that presenting a statement, rather than a motion, was his decision.

The report acknowledged the chosen option does not fully meet the original Tynwald motion, with no provision for refreshments and no toilet facilities included at Victoria Street.

It also highlighted potential risks including statutory approvals, budget approval, market conditions and the interaction with the planned horse tram extension.

If funding is secured through the 2027-28 budget process, the works are expected to be completed during that financial year.