Former offices in the centre of Douglas could be turned into a childcare facility under new proposals.

A planning application to change the use of former insurance broker offices in Thomas Street, just off Victoria Street, have been submitted by Smart Bird Rocks Ltd.

If given the green light, the new facility will be able to cater for up to 75 children or infants and would employ 15 members of staff.

The plans also include turning the building’s flat roof into a new play area.

The planning statement says: ‘The proposal is a change of use of the existing vacant office space to a proposed use of a children’s care facility.

‘The proposal will take advantage of the existing footprint of the building and additional area by utilising the flat roof on the northern side of the building.

‘This roof area will be transformed into an external children’s play space with a glazed barrier to enclose its perimeter.’

The applicant argues that the facility will help boost growth in the city centre, support the working population of the island and help reduce its overall carbon footprint.

The planning statement concludes: ‘The introduction of a nursery within the city centre supports the Island’s objective to decarbonisation by 2030, encouraging sustainable transport and commuting options like walking due to the close proximity to places of employment.

‘Additionally, providing accessible childcare facilities contributes to workforce retention, aiding economic resilience and aligning with the government's aims to grow the working population to support recruitment across multiple key sectors.

‘Furthermore, the facility contributes to the broader goal of increasing the Isle of Man’s population by providing essential family infrastructure, making the Island more attractive to economically active individuals to create families on island and bring from further abroad’

The applicant has also outlined the details of opening times and the scale of the facility.

The statement says: ‘The proposed opening hours for the facility are weekdays 7.45am – 6pm, to serve the intended clientele in the business, retail and service sectors all located within close proximity.

‘The applicant may wish to open at weekends between the hours of 10am-4pm operation as a ‘drop off’ facility.

‘This would be intended to provide a facility that parents/ carers can utilise for a short time while they used the shops in the city centre.

‘There will be approximately 15 members of staff throughout the facility to care for approximately 75 children and infants, all in accordance with Children Registration and inspections.

But the applicant says the facility will only be established if there is sufficient demand for it.

The statement says: ‘This facility is yet to be confirmed, and it will be dependent on market demand, which has yet to be established.

‘The utilisation of this provision at weekends will have a reduced impact on the surrounding areas as the use is expected to be lower than that during the working week.’

The application will be considered by the planning committee in due course.