The former Ramsey Bakery building is to be converted into industrial units and self-storage spaces.

Ramsey Bakery closed at the end of April 2022 after 50 years in business.

The company blamed the ‘heart-wrenching’ decision on a dramatically changed marketplace and the challenge of sourcing adequate and affordable resources which is said had made the business unsustainable.

Members of the family of company founder, the late Jim Duncan, applied (24/00304/B) for planning consent to turn the building into 10 general industrial units together with self-storage units and office space.

A total of 36 parking spaces will be provided with two spaces specifically allocated for the offices, 10 for the storage area, and 22 spaces for the industrial units.

The application was unanimously approved by the planning committee at its meeting this week.

Recommending approval, planning officer Paul Visigah said the proposal should be encouraged as it could potentially offer employment opportunities to the area.

He said the proposed works would enhance the character and appearance of the site.

Applicant Andrew Duncan said the firm had a 50-year history of serving the community and the proposals offered ‘an opportunity to support local businesses’.

Planning committee member Peter Young said the plans were ‘a real asset to Ramsey’ and the storage units a ‘bonus for businesses’.

The bakery was built on the site of the railway station which was demolished in 1978.

White-berried rowan trees along the east of the building are to be retained as they are an important food source for waxwings, a rare and exotic-looking species of bird that visits the island from Scandinavia during some winters.

The applicant said additional trees and shrubs will be planted to ‘enhance what has become a wildlife area where waxwings are a common sight when they come to the island at the start of winter’.