Cost is the main factor deterring Douglas Council from taking on the former swing bridge control tower as a possible tourist attraction, according to Douglas councillors.
The tower, which forms part of the island’s Victorian heritage on South Quay in Douglas, was offered to the council by its current owners the government’s Infrastructure Department.
A decision by the council on whether it would be economically viable to take it on was deferred pending the outcome of a Manx Lottery Trust application for support with a restoration programme.
Council plans to create a heritage visitor centre in the tower were estimated to cost around £509,000 while a maximum grant of just £50,000 was available from the Manx Lottery Trust. In addition, councillors were not confident the finished attraction would generate the £43,000 per year income required over a 15-year period to cover the outlay. As chairman of the council’s executive committee, Council Leader David Christian used his casting vote to support a recommendation not to go ahead with the plans. Councillors John Skinner and Ritchie McNicholl were both in favour of pursuing the proposal further.
Councillor McNicholl said the plans, involving installation of a lift and a mezzanine floor, need not have be so ambitious or expensive.
‘I’m disappointed we have turned down this chance,’ he said adding the building was historic and in good repair, and the island had almost lost both the Laxey Wheel and the Gaiety Theatre in the past through similar short sightedness: ‘What you have there is something unique,’ he said.