Summerland Site Up for Sale

Department of Community Culture and Leisure to Dispose of Summerland Site

It’s been confirmed that the Summerland site will now be offered up for sale.

The site has been largely unused since the demolition of the complex 5 years back.

Since then it’s been the subject of much speculation as to what was going to take it’s place, with proposed multi purpose leisure facility ‘The Wave’ stalling in the planning stages.

Subsequent attempts to sell it on to private sector partners also proved unsuccessful.

The Summerland complex has been a big part of the Island’s history over the past 40 years, when first built it was considered one of the most sophisticated leisure facilities in the World, it made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 1973 when a major fire killed 50 people.

The Department of Community, Culture and Leisure have now decided that disposing of the site could represent the best value for money.

In order to maximise its value the Department will be seeking planning permission so the plot could be developed for residential use.

It's estimated that it could fetch £5 million if sold with planning permission.

Community Culture and Leisure Minister David Cretney has said that if it is sold for residential purposes he would hope to see a leisure facility take its place in a more centralised location in Douglas.

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