Sea wall plan pulled over loss of parking concerns

Plans for a new sea wall on the Isle of Man which promised "essential" flood protection have been shelved amid concerns about a loss of dozens of parking spaces.

The Department of Infrastucture (DoI) said "serious concerns" from the public about the height of the wall and loss of parking spaces along Ramsey's West Quay resulted in the plans being pulled.

The plans would have seen a 4.26ft (1.3m) high structure, along with areas for walking and cycling in Ramsey Port - protecting 400 properties from flooding - but it would have meany losing 52 quayside parking spaces, the DoI said.

Reservations about lost parking spaces have previously halted similar plans, with a 2022 application being scrapped as a result.

Despite the setback, the DoI said it would start consulting on a redesigned plan, working alongside Ramsey Town Commissioners to balance "effective flood mitigation" with the city's "needs and character".

Infrastructure minister Tim Crookall MHK said: "While we remain fully committed to protecting homes and businesses in Ramsey from the risk of flooding there have been serious concerns about the height of the wall that had been proposed and the number of parking spaces that would have been lost.

"It's clear that the current design, while offering essential flood protection to the town, is not the right solution for West Quay."

The DoI had previously claimed that recent studies show Ramsey had "sufficient capacity" to absorb the removal of the parking spaces, due to "improved signage and enforcement".

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