Plans to convert the goods shed at Port St Mary railway station into offices have been shelved.

However, the rest of Haven Homes’ proposal (19/01117/GB) to convert the station building to provide a toy museum, and tea room with associated parking remains.

Haven Homes director David Lewis asked planning to ’remove the goods shed from any consideration ... and take the matter forward to committee in respect of the railway station and all external landscaping/parking within the application’.

He added: ’We will give the goods shed further consideration over the coming months and ultimately provide a new, separate application, possibly for an alternative use, with greater construction detail.’

Principal planner Sarah Corlett had pointed out the buildings are now registered, and ’if there is to be an argument about viability of this or the whole scheme then information needs to be provided to support that’.

She said there was no reference made to how the various uses would work together.

And she raised her concern that ’there is no information included about the redundancy of the goods shed’.

She added: ’If the railway station is now to be used as a model railway exhibition, it may well be that those visiting the building would be very interested in seeing how the goods shed was or indeed, is being used for railway purposes ... However, it is recognised that it is often necessary to look for a new use to secure the economic future of the building. It is important therefore that any new use is appropriate and that physical alterations are sensitive to its character.’

She said it was not clear how the existing track will be covered nor how the proposed mezzanine could be introduced without affecting the structure of the building.

The original application provoked objections from the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association. It lobbied ’tirelessly’ to get both buildings registered, which happened in 2018.

’We feel this planning application for the goods shed is to the detriment of the railway and the passenger experience ... at the very least detailed drawings need to be prepared showing how rail track within/through the building will be preserved; also how the internal loading platform will feature in the proposed office arrangement.’

The Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society welcomed the museum element of the plan but said it was dismayed with the change of use of the goods shed, and change of use to allow parking on the platform, especially between the station building and the goods shed.