Rushen Heritage Trust has agreed a 99-year lease for the use of a former toilet block and bus shelter as a heritage centre.

The trust has reached an agreement with Port Erin Commissioners to take over the building, in Bridson Street, which had been due to be demolished.

Rushen Heritage Trust was granted planning approval in July last year (19/00613/B) to convert the building into a welcome centre and exhibition space.

The centre would be known as Tree Archyn, Manx for three arches, which is inspired by the three central arches of the building’s design. It plans to carry out reconstructive work on the building to create one large meeting room with a store room, office, toilet and kitchenette.

The toilet block and shelter was the town’s main bus stop until that moved to outside the railway station as part of a regeneration project in 2017.

Once the work to create the centre is finished, the building will have one large meeting room with a store room, office, toilet and kitchenette.

It will also include replacing the existing wooden frame windows and installing three large glass doors on the front to seal the building.

Professor Hugh Davidson, chairman of the trust, said: ’We are thrilled to have secured this site for our new heritage centre.

’Last year, we identified the need for a low-cost but highly visible centre and then learned that the former bus shelter was scheduled to be demolished.

’It seemed an ideal site for our needs, so we approached the commissioners.

’The board, along with clerk Jason Roberts, has been very supportive and worked closely with us to finalise the lease.’

He added: ’Tree Archyn will have several roles - visitor centre, exhibition space, meeting venue, much-needed storage facilities for the trust, and as a community hub.’

The planned opening hours are five or six days a week from 10am to 4pm with the possibility of evening meetings being held there.

During the planning application process last year, it was confirmed that Port Erin Commissioners was planning to demolish the building due to it falling out of use and the toilets not having disabled access.

Chairman of the local authority, Godfrey Egee, said the heritage trust’s plans ’will see the creation of a fantastic community facility right in the heart of Port Erin’.

Mr Egee added: ’Rushen Heritage Trust has flourished since its formation in 2014 following a request by Port Erin Commissioners for ideas from the public for future development of the village.’

It is anticipated that Tree Archyn Heritage Centre will be open to the public by late July .