Douglas Council tenants move into new £12.6m housing complex

Local authority tenants have moved into a new £12.6m social housing complex in the Isle of Man's capital.

The 66 new flats on Peel Road, built by developer Dandara on behalf of Douglas Council, opened this month.

More than forty families had moved into the complex from the "outdated" apartments on Lord Street, the local authority said.

Council leader Claire Wells said the new energy efficient homes would be "fantastic" for their new residents.

The installation of electric heating in the properties meant the block would be "a very clean building" when the government reaches its green energy generation targets, she added.

The modern apartment blocks were built as a replacement to the older council buildings on Lord Street in lower Douglas.

Along with the residents who have already moved in, the flats have the space to accommodate about 20 new families from the council's social housing waiting list, the authority said.

Ms Wells told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was "keen to increase housing stock" while maintaining existing properties, as the authority had a "big responsibility" to bring all of its housing up to an acceptable standard.

However, she said modernising older homes alongside building new ones was "incredibly costly" for the council.

"We are kind of catching up from many years of things not being done effectively, and now we're trying to make sure that they are done effectively," she added.

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