Politics
DoI Still trying to End Lord Street Parking
The development firm, fronted by the Bradley family, wanted to drop the hotel element from the scheme.
More than six months on from a DoI minister saying it wanted to see an end to the free for all parking in Lord Street, his successor says work is continuing to do just that.
Back in June Chris Thomas, then DoI minister, said that if Lord Street Developments SPV didn’t stop people parking on its land, then the DoI would be forced to do so through the courts.
Now in 2024, the free-for-all parking continues unabated, while the site which was supposed to include a a hotel, twenty residential apartments, a six screen multiplex cinema and a multi-storey car park, remains undeveloped, its planning permission having expired in July last year.
Responding to a question from Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher asking for an update on the site, Minister Tim Crookall said that his department had accepted a proposal from the firm, fronted by the Bradley family, to drop the hotel element from the scheme.
He said: ‘This change replaced the previously approved hotel with an additional twenty five residential apartments and six tourist apartments and minor changes to commercial areas. This revised schematic layout was not submitted by the owner for planning approval.’
Mr Crookall added: ‘The site is currently used as an unmanaged car park which is in breach of the covenant/burden attached to the land. The covenant in relation to approximately 80% of the site dictates that the site may only be used for mixed use comprising leisure, office and retail.
‘This obviously precludes the use of the site for car parking. The Department is hopeful of a resolution regarding the unauthorised use of the site for vehicle parking and steps are in hand to bring this to an end with the owner’s consent.’
He also confirmed that the DoI remains in dialogue over the site, including for ‘ the provision of the much needed improved bus facilities for the city centre’.
