Strand Street retailer Neil Dunwell remains sceptical about the future of the island’s main shopping street.

The jeweller expressed his fears as it was announced that Douglas Borough Council is to hand back the management of two of its car parks to the Department of Infrastructure.

The jeweller told Business News he believes this will ’not make any difference whatsoever’ to ’long-suffering’ businesses.

He spoke as Douglas Borough Council said it was to relinquish the management of Chester Street and Drumgold Street car parks at midnight on Friday August 14.

Shaw’s Brow and the Bottleneck car parks will, however, remain under the council’s ownership and operation.

The decision comes in the wake of the statement made by the leader of the council David Christian, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the council temporarily suspended parking charges, that the car parks the council manages as well as those it owns and operates must be self-financing.

Councillor Christian said: ’Simply put, managing Chester Street and Drumgold Street car parks has become financially unsustainable.

’While the council has demonstrated its expertise in running Douglas’s town centre car parks, it does not have the financial resources to continue managing these two sites.

’The council is required to pay the Department of Infrastructure £1.3million a year to rent Drumgold Street and Chester Street car parks.

’Even before the pandemic, that sum was imposing considerable pressure on the council’s finances and adding to the rate burden.

’The substantial loss of car park income during the lockdown highlighted and, crucially, exacerbated that situation, despite representations made by the council to the department at that time to consider offering a rebate or temporary suspension of the operator’s licence.

’Regrettably, no such concessions were forthcoming.

’The council now has no option other than to hand back the management of Chester Street and Drumgold Street car parks to the Department of Infrastructure.’

Mr Dunwell first spoke out in June when he told Business News he believes long-suffering businesses had been ’kicked in the teeth’ as council chiefs reinstated car parking charges after nearly three months.

A storm of protest followed the decision to end free parking in Drumgold Street, Shaw’s Brow, Chester Street and the Bottleneck.

Taking the ’double whammy’ of prom works into account as well as the car park charges Mr Dunwell said at the time: ’There is no encouragement to come to town.’

Mr Dunwell has been running his independent jewellery business for nearly three years. He believes the latest news on the car parks ’won’t make any difference’ to the plight of retailers.

He said: ’I believe the charges will remain in place. I don’t think it will make any difference whatsoever over who has ownership of and management of the car parks. At the end of the day they will want to get as much money out of people as they possibly can.’

Mr Dunwell said ’the survival of retailing’ is at stake.

He acknowledged that his jewellery business was not suffering as badly as others because it is a ’destination shop’ but he fears for others in the centre of the capital who are not getting enough people through the doors.

’The consequences of this are going to show very soon, in my opinion, in shop closures. There is just not enough people in town, it’s as simple as that.’

He said people were being put off by the ’hassle of just getting into town’ and ’there is much less parking available at this time and then they are paying an awful lot of money for the parking. There is no free parking anywhere, they have to pay top dollar for an hour’s shopping, it is so unfair.

’Added to that it is hard work getting into town because of all the roadworks.

’Parking is also limited because of the closure of the bus station car park.’

Mr Dunwell added: ’You can walk into town any day and you will see the consequences, there is not enough people shopping in town.’

He fears there will ’be a lot of retailers closing down, whether independents or nationals’.