A major multi-million-pound regeneration of a Douglas eyesore has been recommended for approval by planning officers.
The decision will be taken by the island’s planning committee on Monday.
The Tevir Group's application is to build more than 80,000 square feet of office, retail and leisure space is planned for the site as well as an 80-bed hotel.
The principal building fronting the Promenade comprises a mixture of retail and office floor space with associated gym, food and drink uses which will connect to Villiers House and continue along the promenade and onto Regent Street.
The second building is a detached, six-storey hotel at the rear (west) of the site.
The office and retail building is subdivided into two sections referred to in the application submission as the ‘Marker Building’ which is the taller section on the corner of Loch Promenade and Regent Street and the ‘Promenade Building’ continues to the south and attaches to the existing Villiers House office building.
In considering the application, planning officers said that it would help meet several of the government's goals including £1bn of public and private investment into the island, growing the economy, creating jobs and bringing life back to disused brownfield sites.
The plans also received conditional support from a number of public bodies including Douglas Council, the registered buildings officer and the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure.
The Department of Enterprise, in its submission, said: 'This site is one of the largest of Douglas' key brownfield sites, so its redevelopment would deliver on Our Island Plan's “National Outcomes & Indicators” which identifies the redevelopment of two key brownfield sites using substantial private sector leverage as a key performance indicator.'
However, concerns were raised over the impact the site would have on neighbouring properties and the surrounding area.
Despite this, the planning officer said that proposals are 'deemed to give rise to a positive impact upon the character and appearance of the wider Conservation Area by redeveloping a prominent gap site, whilst further providing increased employment opportunity and additional serviced tourist accommodation, to the benefit of the local economy'.
A decision will be taken by the Planning Committee on Monday.
