Next stage of Castle Mona restoration approved

Plans to replace the central roof of the former Castle Mona hotel in Douglas and demolish part of the historic building have been approved.

The registered building, which dates back to 1804, closed as a hotel in 2006 and was bought at auction for £1.21m in 2018 by developer Tevir.

The rear of the site, including the south-west wing, will be knocked down to "facilitate space for a modern building".

It is not yet clear what the purpose of the restored site will be, but the owners hope the site can perform "a civic function of some form."

Tevir Developments Ltd said the work to the central roof was needed to stop water getting into the building.

A structural survey carried out in January found the roof was generally in a poor state.

The roof sits above the double-height ballroom, where original late Georgian painted decoration survives, according to the application.

The south-west wing will be demolished to make room for a replacement building.

Any proposal for a new building would need separate planning approval.

Castle Mona was built in 1804 as a home for the 4th Duke of Atholl, who was Governor-in-Chief of the Isle of Man.

It was sold in 1831 and opened as a hotel the following year.

Over the decades, it was altered and extended many times, housing at various points a casino, a nightclub and the Manx Superbowl bowling alley, which opened in 1994.

A 1960s bedroom wing and the 1990s nightclub and bowling alley extension have since been demolished.

The building was added to the Island's list of protected buildings in 1985.

It was described in the application, along with the Gaiety Theatre, as one of the two most important buildings in the Douglas Promenades Conservation Area.

The main building has been abandoned for nearly 20 years.

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