More parking in city centre than you think, says Douglas Council

Back in April, Douglas City Centre Management asked people to comment on its Facebook page with what would encourage them to visit the city centre.

The leading response - better parking.

Read more HERE.

But since then the organisation says its run two on-the-ground surveys during peak times in key public car parks across Douglas to see how many spaces are actually available.

It says the results suggest the issue isn’t a shortage of parking but a lack of awareness about where to find with an average of more than 250 spaces available during weekday lunchtimes and over 500 during lunchtime on Saturday. 

A spokesperson says: 'There’s a risk that when people constantly hear there’s “no parking”, they simply avoid coming into the city centre.' 

A perception they say is 'not only inaccurate but potentially damaging to our economy'.

‘Although many residents perhaps don’t know where to find the best available spaces, we are very pleased to confirm there isn’t anything close to a lack of parking in the city centre.

‘The findings from these surveys have really helped to highlight the myth around parking and we’re grateful for the public’s input. Now we’re in a better position to help point people in the right direction.’

Recommended options include: two-hour free disk parking on Level 1 of Chester Street car park, regular spaces on Levels 2 and 3 at Drumgold Street car park and a £2 per day fee at Shaw’s Brow car park at weekends.

In the longer term, local authority says officers have pledged to research various aspects of car parking as part of a forthcoming City Centre Strategy with options under consideration ranging from free parking during peak shopping times to enhanced provision for disabled and parent-child parking.

A spokesperson adds: ‘We’ve been working through your comments and taking them on board. Some we can action fairly quickly, others will take a little longer but, in the meantime, we need to correct the record: there IS parking in Douglas – and lots of it.’