The owners of the former Paramount City nightclub say they are on the ‘downhill to the finish’ with plans to transform the empty building.

The former nighttime venue was bought by former TT legend Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle and wife Lydia in August 2020 and the couple have worked hard over the last few years to turn it into a café, barber shop and residential homes.

The plans involve converting the first and second floors of the iconic Douglas landmark into four-bedroom residential flat, with the ground floor to be used for the combined cafe and barber shop.

The couple have been providing updates on their Facebook Page entitled ‘Paramount City the next chapter’.

The latest post uses an analogy of the TT Races in a nod to Richard’s glittering racing past to explain how close they are to finishing the project.

It says: ‘Another few months done, and things here have picked up a bit of pace despite three UK race meetings with Illiam [their son]. 

‘We are halted again now for a few weeks because of Richard’s Manx Grand Prix commitments…..honestly if it wasn’t for motorbikes it would’ve been finished months ago.!

‘In terms of finishing. I feel like we are past the Bungalow….. maybe as far as Brand-y-well…. Either way we feel we are on the downhill to the finish…. At last!

‘We have had Macro in to fit our kitchen extraction system fitted and it all looks shiny and new.

‘The electrician has been and connect the 2nd of our 3 boards and also some of our fire exit signs have gone up, which sadly I think is exciting as it is a finish feeling.’

The post then lists the work still needing to be done which includes fitting the kitchen, finishing the toilets, completing the coffee bar area and various ither plumbing and electrics.

The once-popular night club on Queen’s Promenade was bought by the Sefton Group in 2008.

It closed permanently in 2011 after briefly operating again as The Crescent - the name by which it was known before it was revamped and became Paramount in the early 90s.

Before it was known as Paramount City, it had been called Little Caesar’s Nightclub, and as the Crescent before that, dating back to the 1940s.

The nightclub’s former smoking area would be used as outdoor seating for the coffee shop.

The first floor living area would include a gym, wet room, a cinema, games room and an office.