The RNLI has announced plans to relocate its Douglas base to the Manx Marine building on the Tongue.
Volunteers are currently operating from temporary premises at Battery Yard near the old lifeboat station, which has not used its slipway since 2018. The lifeboat now launches from the liner berth within the harbour, an arrangement which will continue.
A planning application has been submitted to change the use of the Manx Marine building, next to the Coastguard station.
If approved, the new base would provide improved facilities including changing rooms, a workshop, office space and a crew area. The proposed lease would run for seven years, with a review option after four.
The RNLI’s lease on the former slipway station has expired and the site has been handed back to the government.
Sam Holliday, Interim Head of Region Wales, West and the Isle of Man, RNLI, said: “Our volunteer crew deserve facilities that meet modern standards.
“This move would deliver a significantly improved lifeboat station, giving our people a stronger base from which to continue saving lives at sea, as they have done for more than 200 years.
“Subject to the necessary approvals, the RNLI is committed to prioritising this project and enabling the crew to operate from the new facility as soon as realistically possible.”