Investigations were carried out into the possibility of converting the former prison in Victoria Road, Douglas into a hotel.
Home Affairs Minister Adrian Earnshaw says he got experts from on and off the Island to look into the idea, but ultimately the site wasn't considered suitable.
He says the work was carried out after he found out about a successful conversion along similar lines, elsewhere in the British Isles (play audio file):
Because of structural deterioration, the Island's former prison is now considered unsafe for any use, and an application has been made to clear the two-acre site.
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