Castletown square pedestrianisation extended by two months

Market Square is shut off entirely to vehicles until the end of October

A summer ban on cars in town square on the Isle of Man has been extended after "overwhelmingly positive" feedback, the local authority has said.

Castletown Commissioners trialled the full pedestrianisation of Market Square last year.

Chairman Jamie Horton said the scheme had brought "a lot more footfall" for local traders.

This year's closure, which began on Monday, has been extended by two months and will run until the end of October.

Nearby parking at the Parade in the island's ancient capital has also been made exclusively available to blue badge holders.

Last summer, the square played host to events and games, and deckchairs were made available for people to use.

A subsequent survey showed strong support for the summer closure, which saw 75% of those who took part support the continuation of the seasonal scheme.

Mr Horton said a local pub had had "phenomenal success" in 2022 by making use of some of the space, and others traders were now hoping to follow suit this year.

The commissioners also planned to host small events to keep people who visited entertained, he added.

In December, the local authority asked for feedback on reclaiming the square as a public place permanently.

However Mr Horton said there were no immediate plans for that to happen as the responses "hadn't yet been digested".