An application to revamp the sunken gardens on Douglas promenade could be submitted before the end of the year.

A shipwreck play area, skateboard park and peaceful green haven have been revealed in tentative plans to revamp the sunken gardens on Douglas promenade.

A variety of designs have been published by Douglas Council as part of the ambitious scheme and were available for the public to view as part of feedback sessions held in the capital earlier this month.

Assistant chief officer (regeneration) Chris Pycroft says the proposals are an exciting development for the city but have had to wait for flood defence work.

He said: ‘These concepts have been created recently to get them out for consultation. We need to improve the gardens and replace the old play equipment.

‘One of the delays in renovating the gardens has been to ensure better flood protection is in place.

‘The sea wall being built further down is not part of these defences. We currently have storm boards which are a bit old fashioned so we need to modernise that. We have designers working on that and we should have something on that fairly soon.’

Mr Pycroft wants the renovated gardens to appeal to as many people as possible which is why three sets of designs have been created.

He said: ‘The idea is to make sure there is something for everyone. We want the whole demographic to enjoy their gardens and not to lose their appeal.

‘The gardens are vital and one of the most important sites in the island. We want to make sure we get this renovation correct.’

The plans include a play park inspired by the history of Douglas Bay with a shipwreck, towers and a castle or a sand and water play area ‘bringing the beach to the promenade’.

There are also three different designs for a skatepark, such as a bowl design or one with a pyramids, rails and ledges and  further three designs have been drafted for the greenspace with a beach park, maritime park or dunescape theme.

The council is planning to spend £1.4 million on revamping the promenade which includes a new £700,000 park 'play area' and a re-design of the gardens.

This is on top of £350,000 for renovations to the Marine Gardens and a further £350,000 for The Queen’s Promenade Gardens.

The plans were first revealed at the recent Douglas Beach Day and another open event as the council gauges public opinion.

Mr Pycroft said: ‘We can’t say too much about the feedback so far as there will be a report going before the council’s executive committee this week. But I can say the responses have generally been positive and they are all being taken into account.

‘The next stage will be for the design team to fine tune the concepts and put them out for consultation again.

‘It is difficult to put a timescale on when the works will take place. There are two elements outside of put control. One is the planning process and the other is the government borrowing we will need.

‘I would say we hope to have some complete designs by September and hopefully put in an application for the gardens this year.

The new play area would be in the gardens opposite Jaks and the skate park would be adjacent to the play area opposite Quids Inn.

The greenspace area will be further north on Queens Promenade stretching from Switzerland Road to Summer Hill. The local authority aims to have the work completed by March 2026.