Tynwald backs selling former police station

Tynwald members have backed a move to put a former police station in the south of the Isle of Man onto the open market.

Designed by renowned architect Mackay Bailie Scott and built at the turn of the 20th Century, the well-known building in Castletown was used as a police station until 2017.

It has been owned by Manx National Heritage (MNH) but after plans fell through and prospective tenants pulled out, the body opted to sell the site.

Sarah Maltby, political trustee for MNH told Tynwald a re-assessment of the site concluded "that the building in its current state represents an ongoing and escalating liability."

"The level of investment needed to bring it back into viable use is significant, and Manx National Heritage simply does not have the resources to undertake that work without compromising its core statutory responsibilities across the island," she argued.

MNH acquired the property in 2018 after a public outcry surrounding plans to sell it on the open market.

Despite proposals in 2022 for the site to be used as a hub for hotels and restaurants under a commercial lease, the building has remained closed.

MHK for the area Jason Moorhouse said he was "concerned that the building was falling into disrepair" and questioned what would happen to the site under private ownership.

"After so much work was done to retain this important building in the hands of the nation, it would be incredibly frustrating if we now backtrack and reverse its achievements," he argued.

Tim Glover argued it threw up questions of whether the island's heritage was being funded properly.

But Sarah Maltby argued that the "disposal of the site does not mean the loss of heritage protection".

"The trust has considered every reasonable option and only reached this conclusion when it became clear that retention is no longer in the charity's interest," she added.

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