Another part of old Douglas is being reduced to rubble.

Demolition is well under way of a rundown corner site at the far end of the capital’s main shopping street.

Reader Nick Townell sent in this dramatic picture as the demolition contractors began work this week. He said it was ‘quite a sight’.

No.1 and 1a, at the corner of Marina Road and Senna Road, were previously occupied by Mann3 Motorcycle Merchandise, and before that by Faze 2 electrical gadget store, while no.2 was the Best Kebab fast food outlet.

Registered planning consent (21/01130/CON) was granted in July 2022 to knock down the buildings.

And in September that year owners Gold Properties secured planning approval (21/01119/B) to construct in their place a modern-looking four-story building with a ground floor shop and five flats above.

Recommending approval, the planning officer said the old buildings were in a ‘sorry state of appearance’ and were reflective of the ‘tired character of the area’.

Their replacement will be a ‘stark contrast’ but not incongruous and would be an acceptable form of development’, he added.

He said within the main shopping street, there has been a number of examples where permission had been granted for properties to be demolished and rebuilt with a more contemporary appearance.

In a planning statement from 2021, architects Ellis Brown said: ‘The building recently acquired by the applicant is tired and need of considerable attention hence the applicant’s proposal to redevelop.’

The application was for approval for commercial retail space of no specific classification so that the ‘end use could be open to the market requirements prevalent at the time of completion’.

Upper levels of the new building are proposed to be finished in a mix of aluminium panels and timber cladding.

Senna Road has been closed while the demolition is carried out by Manx Demolition.