Proposed new powers making it easier for the council to deal with dilapidated properties have been welcomed by the chairman of the committee responsible for unsightly buildings.
Councillor Ritchie McNicholl, speaking at the most recent meeting of Douglas Borough Council, said proposals being considered by Tynwald would give the council greater power to address problems and encourage property owners to co-operate without having to take repeated court action.
‘One advantage is it would give us the power to issue a daily penalty. It would be a big advantage because sometimes people take a long time before they actually take any action to improve their property,’ Councillor McNicholl said.
Councillor McNicholl reported several properties which had been a source of concern in Douglas were making progress.
Braddan Lodge on Quarterbridge Road has been the subject of several notices issued by the council and has also been at the centre of court action. Building work which was started without planning permission was left incomplete for a long period despite attempts by the council to have the situation resolved.
‘The court has now ruled in the council’s favour and an appeal by the property owner was not upheld,’ he said.
‘He now has to do something with it.’
Other properties currently targeted by the council include one in Derby Square which requires tidying up. Councillor McNicholl said a notice had been issued to the owner. He said a request had also been made for the boundary wall of the old Park Road School site to be painted. The site was subject to a proposal to build a sheltered housing complex but is currently being used by builders to store materials and machinery for the nearby Salisbury Street development where a carehome is being built.
The council is also requesting suitable fencing be used to screen a site on South Quay as well as an empty plot on Peel Road near to the Brown Bobby fuel station.
Councillor McNicholl said that he hoped the site of the former Athol Hotel opposite the post office building on Regent Street would soon be improved and that he believed work was to be completed soon to render the gable end of the remaining building on the site.