Businesses welcome review of permanent car ban

Businesses have welcomed a move to review proposals for the year-round pedestrianisation of a square in the south of the Isle of Man.

Earlier this month Castletown Commissioners said it would undertake a "comprehensive review" in determining the future closure of Market Square to vehicles.

The new Board of Commissioners said it planned to keep the summer closure, but reverse previous plans for pedestrianisation over winter and only shut the square to vehicles for community events.

Diane Tyrer, from Chree-Brae Gifts & Jewellery said it was a "fair decision" as the "worst months of the year are winter".

First trialled in 2017, the partial ban of cars in Castletown's Market Square was extended to cover the whole space in 2022 to boost footfall and allow for community events.

While a permanent order for the pedestrianisation of the square is now in place from 1 March until 30 September, a bid for a year-round closure has been paused amid local backlash after the square was shut to vehicles over winter.

The new Board of commissioners have said it would consult with local businesses and produce a report by October outlining its new plans.

Speaking of the impact on her business, Ms Tyrer said it would still be helpful to have two or three parking spaces in the square all year round for elderly customers.

She added that those customers could struggle to get to her shop due to stormy weather and not being able to park nearby, had meant she often had to deliver cards to them.

While cards were a "big part" of her business, giftware "tops it up" she said, and so although her customers would eventually get cards through her delivery, they could not browse the shop for other items which had impacted her business financially.

A spokesperson for Memory Lane Sweet Shop said the impact of the summer closure was "negligible" but the winter parking ban had been "utterly disastrous".

During the winter there had been "many days" where no customers entered the shop which they said was "very unusual" beforehand.

While they agreed that shopkeepers and traders should be consulted on the future policy, they added "but if you disregard that opinion and make nothing of it then the whole process has no value".

The spokesperson said that parking should be available during the winter, from September to March, and eight to 10 spaces should be available in the square over the summer months for elderly customers.

Amanda Craine who runs Loui's Barbers said the closure to vehicles had a "big effect" in the winter, but in the summer it was "really lovely sitting in the square".

However, as her customers would have appointments, it had not impacted her as much as other businesses, she said.

She said it was a "good idea to only close the square when events are on" during the winter.

Chairman of Castletown Commissioners Tony Brown said "We envisage holding direct discussions with businesses to explain our thoughts", which would be incorporated in the decision-making.

Part of the consideration would also be looking at other nearby carparking, he said.

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