An application to revolutionise social housing in central Douglas has been approved by planners.

Douglas Council’s application (19/01222/B) for 66 flats, which will replace the Lord Street flats, was designed by property developer Dandara.

The flats will be built on the site of the former Quayle’s Garage and attached land, which is next to the Brown Bobby petrol station on Peel Road.

The two blocks will be built over five floors, each combining a mixture of one- and two-bedroom flats with kitchens, bathrooms and living space.

Parking for the site will be extremely limited, disregarding the usual requirement which would have meant one or two spaces per flat.

However, planning officer Chris Balmer told the committee that the council had chosen to provide only 28 spaces because the majority of its central Douglas residents, who will move into these flats, don’t own cars.

Committee member Adrian Kermode asked Mr Balmer what future residents, who may own cars, would be expected to do.

As a representative from the council was not in attendance, Mr Balmer said that residents would ’likely have to accept that [the lack of parking] when they move in’.

A representative from Dandara did note that when car spaces were included in the newer Lord Street flats, the requirements had led to an ’over provision’ of parking.

Mr Balmer admitted that it was a contradiction to only have 28 parking spaces, while requiring space to store 66 bikes. Mr Kermode questioned what evidence the council had it needed so many bike spaces or if he knew how many current Lord Street residents had bikes.

The planning officer said he didn’t know but that the council had said that it ’doesn’t want’ any additional parking spaces.

In its application documents, Dandara said: ’The existing Douglas Council blocks on Lord Street are approaching the end of their practical life span and the provision of new dwellings on Peel Road as proposed will give the council the option of relocating existing Lord Street tenants if required.

’The long-term future of the Lord Street site is yet to be determined.’

Dandara added that it would be using ’traditional’ materials to build the flats including ’Manx stone cladding’ to ensure they are in keeping with other buildings in the area.

The Lord Street flats were built in the 1930s, with contemporary news reports stating the first four blocks of flats were fully occupied by the end of July 1932.