A government department has applied to erect temporary tourist accommodation on the former Victoria Road prison site.

The Department for Enterprise has entered into negotiations with the Department of Home Affairs to allow DfE to lease the site to Duke Travel for the duration of the TT.

A similar agreement was made last year when 150 cabins were used to house TT visitors, this year that number will be boosted to 168 if DfE’s planning application (20/00255/B) is approved.

However, it would be reasonable to assume it will be approved, seeing as Duke is selling rooms for TT on the website Booking.com with a five night stay for race week from Monday June 8 to Saturday June 13 costing £1,600 for two adults. The company is an ’approved travel partner’ of the TT.

During TT 2019, the site reached 61% occupancy which Duke said was an ’encouraging’ result. However it was not enough to cover its year one costs.

The DfE application said: ’The operator is expected to have higher occupancy in 2020 due to interest in repeat bookings from a large proportion of the 2019 clients, ongoing shortage of hotel accommodation and greater awareness of the facility and the standards offered.’

According to the application, the units would be operational from May 23 to June 7. The Department also insists that the site would see ’removal commencing Monday June 8’.

However, TT 2020, which is organised by the Department for Enterprise, is due to run from Saturday May 30 to Senior Race Day on Friday June 12.

The units, which have space for two beds, are due to be used at Glastonbury which is due to begin on June 24.