Cost of Scaffolding Erected at Douglas City Tram Stables in Douglas

Summary

A request was made for details regarding the scaffolding erected at the Douglas City Tram Stables, including costs, contractors, and maintenance responsibilities. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed that the scaffolding was hired from Absolute Scaffolding for urgent structural concerns, providing specific costs for the hire and traffic management.

Key Facts

• The Department of Infrastructure requested the scaffolding due to concerns over the building's condition.
• The scaffolding is hired from Absolute Scaffolding rather than purchased.
• The contract was not put to tender because the work was of exceptional urgency.
• The Department of Infrastructure is responsible for maintaining the listed building.
• The timeframe for addressing structural problems is currently unknown.

Data Disclosed

• £122,880
• £10,650
• 2025-08-28
• 2025-09-26
• 4901237

Original Request

Hello. Could you please provide the following Information. 1/ Which Dept or LA requested the erection of said Scaffold and for what purpose? 2/ Which Company erected the Scaffold and is the Scaffold Hired out by that Company or was it Purchased by a Gov Dept or any LA? 3/ If Hired, How much to date is the Hire cost from the erection of the date of the initial first lift/section and also the second lift/section which was added at a later date? 4/ Have the Concrete Blocks that have been placed on the lower sections as Ballast been bought by the relevant Dept or are they being Hired as well as the Scaffold? If Hired, at what cost? 5/ Are the Cones and Traffic Management Signs placed at the bottom of Summer Hill Onchan been provided by the relevant Dept or are they being Hired? If Hired, at what Cost? 6/ What is the Timeframe in addressing any Structural problems already identified? 7/ If the Scaffold and/or any items mentioned above are Hired., then what is the Timeframe of the Contract? 8/ Was the Contract put out to Tender and if so, how many respondents did it receive? 9/ Whom is responsible for the Maintenance of the building taking into account it is a Listed Building? Yours Sincerely

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 4901237 25 September 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 28 August 2025, which states:

"Hello.

Could you please provide the following Information.

1/ Which Dept or LA requested the erection of said Scaffold and for what purpose?

2/ Which Company erected the Scaffold and is the Scaffold Hired out by that Company or was it Purchased by a Gov Dept or any LA?

3/ If Hired, How much to date is the Hire cost from the erection of the date of the initial first lift/section and also the second lift/section which was added at a later date?

4/ Have the Concrete Blocks that have been placed on the lower sections as Ballast been bought by the relevant Dept or are they being Hired as well as the Scaffold? If Hired, at what cost?

5/ Are the Cones and Traffic Management Signs placed at the bottom of Summer Hill Onchan been provided by the relevant Dept or are they being Hired? If Hired, at what Cost?

6/ What is the Timeframe in addressing any Structural problems already identified?

7/ If the Scaffold and/or any items mentioned above are Hired., then what is the Timeframe of the Contract?

8/ Was the Contract put out to Tender and if so, how many respondents did it receive?

9/ Whom is responsible for the Maintenance of the building taking into account it is a Listed Building?

Yours Sincerely"

Our response to your request is as follows: I have detailed below the answers to your questions.

1. The Department of Infrastructure requested the erection of the scaffolding, following concerns over the condition of the building.
2. The scaffolding is being hired from Absolute Scaffolding.
3. The cost to date for the contract hiring of the scaffolding in £122,880.
4. The concrete blocks are hired and included within the overall costs for the scaffolding.
5. The traffic cones and traffic management signs are hired at a cost of £10,650.
6. The timeframe for addressing the structural condition of the building is not known and will be dependent upon the exploration of further opinions as to the future use of the site.
7. The Department is unable to provide a timeframe for the contract hire of the scaffolding as this will be determined once the future of the site and any plan of works to address the structural condition have been agreed.
8. The contract hire of the scaffolding was not put to Tender, as the work was of exceptional urgency and tendering would have caused an unacceptable delay.
9. The Department of Infrastructure is responsible for the maintenance of the building. Please quote the reference number 4901237 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another

form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.