The Douglas horse trams could be stored in a temporary marquee for the 2019 season if a planning application by the Department of Infrastructure is approved.

The DoI has applied (19/00186/B) to house the trams in the large tent on the former Summerland site and would see the tracks extended from where it currently ends outside the Terminus Tavern pub.

The marquee will be able to hold six trams, which have spent the winter in the MER tram shed, and no horses will be housed there.

The back of the marquee will be used to provide storage space for the tramway.

If approved by planners, the marquee will be used for the 2019 season, with the new £1.5m depot (application 18/00305/GB) at Strathallan due to be completed by March 2020.

When completed, the new Strathallan build will house 13 trams and will be built to ’closely resemble’ the former building which had stood on the site since 1902.

The now demolished building was described as ’literally falling apart’ by DoI Minister Ray Harmer in November 2018.

In February 2017, planning approval was obtained to build a temporary tram shed and stabling facilities on the Summerland site.

But this was later deemed unaffordable and a revised plan for stabling only was also later dropped by the DoI.

The horse tramway is due to open on Thursday, April 25 and run through to November 3, with a DoI spokesman confirming the service is due to run ’between Strathallan and Broadway, although these details may be subject to change due to the ongoing promenade refurbishment works’.

Last year the tramway opened on March 29 and ended early on October 21 which the DoI Said at the time was ’to allow work to start on the Douglas promenade refurbishment programme’.

Upon the completion of the works, the horse trams will continue to run as normal until the war memorial where the line will move to a single track with passing places until the end of line at the Sea Terminal.

The horse trams had been operated by Douglas Council before it dropped them for being ’uneconomical’ which left tax payers to foot the bill.