A requisition meeting has been called in Laxey to discuss the leasing of the promenade’s beach huts.

Garff Commissioners unanimously agreed to let the disused changing cubicles to a neighbouring cafe business on the seafront earlier this year.

Two expressions of interest were considered by the board and a proposal from The Shed was deemed ’best value’ for the ratepayer.

Since the agreement was reached, the Captain of the Parish of Lonan has received written requests from 12 residents, who are understood to be unhappy with the tender process.

Captain Stephen Carter said the aim of the meeting was ’to examine the actions’ of the local authority in reaching its decision’.

Given the restrictions in place because of Covid-19, however, he says it will not be possible to hold the meeting until the government says it would be safe to do so.

The wording of the public notice issued by Captain Carter has ’disappointed’ Garff Commissioners, who say it implies behaviour ’beyond legislation’.

However, the local authority believes the meeting will provide ’a further opportunity to reiterate the facts regarding the decision that was made’.

Captain Carter said he has not given consideration to a virtual sitting, insisting: ’It’s got to be done in a traditional manner.’

Discussions by Garff Commissioners on the future use of the beach huts - with some being used as changing cubicles - took place before 2016.

The commissioners said that a number of factors had impeded progress, including the huts’ derelict condition, the fact that they had fallen out of use, and whether they were fit for their original purpose even if renovated.

They estimate the cost of renovation being £30,000.

Garff commissioner Andrew Moore put forward the motion in favour of The Shed. He said the business’s proposal showed it would ’significantly enhance’ the amenity of Laxey Promenade and minimise the potential financial impact on the ratepayer when it came to the refurbishment of the buildings.

The Shed, run by Bev and Richard Clegg, already rents out a room as part of the beach huts - which are thought to date back to the 1940s - to store children’s beach toys.

They are hoping to make the top floor of the two-storey building into a terraced area to provide more shelter for customers to enjoy a coffee when it rains.

Other plans they are considering include having a Manx produce hut and keeping one of the changing rooms open for the public to use.