Square to reopen to vehicles after 18-month ban

The square has been pedestrianised since March last year

An 18-month ban on vehicles in a town square in the south of the Isle of Man's ancient capital is set to be lifted at the end of the month.

First trialled in 2017, parking in Castletown's Market Square was suspended in a bid to boost footfall in the town.

But a move to extend the closure to throughout the winter months by the previous board of commissioners last year divided opinion.

The new members of the local authority, which recently launched a consultation to gather views on the closure, said it plans to reopen the square to parking after the summer traffic order comes to an end on 30 September.

Chairman of Castletown Commissioners Tony Brown said there had been 35 responses to the consultation, and the feedback was being considered before a new policy was finalised early next year.

He said in the meantime the pedestrianisation of the area would not be extended into the winter months, however the authority may request a temporary closure for special events during the period.

Tony Brown said the local authority had received 35 responses in its consultation

Brown said the board would then look to develop a policy on the future plans for the square by Easter 2026.

The proposals put out for consultation included reversing the winter vehicle ban and shortening the summer closure, but introducing pedestrianisation over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

He said the majority of feedback that the local authority had received was in favour of a summer closure but winter opening.

Chris Blatcher of JAC Stores, which has a branch in the town, said the winter closure last year knocked the Castletown shop's turnover by between 20% and 30%.

Welcoming the consultation on the issue, he said the local authority's proposal was "a good balance".

"We were very supportive of the compromise to have it open in the summer", he said, "but we found it very detrimental to our business in the winter when people ultimately want to park their car nearby and nip in to a shop. "

The local authority is set to hold a public meeting later this month to discuss the consultation responses before a final decision is made.