Douglas Council leader David Christian says a scheme to pedestrianise North Quay has been done ’with the best of intentions’, but admits it ’couldn’t have come at a worse time’.

As this week’s Manx Independent reported, a six-week trial to ban motorists from part of the quayside in the evenings, and encourage more to the area, will come into effect next Friday.

It’s part of a government effort to give bars, restaurants and cafes more space for customers.

Despite the continuing disruption of road works in the capital and questions over access, Councillor Christian says the proposal should be given a chance.’

He said: ’Some members [of the council] are still against it. They feel that some businesses are going to be impacted.

’I’m of the view that it is a trial period. We should give it a chance.’

’He said that, because it was going to be open during the working day, businesses and the church would not be badly hit.

At one point it was suggested that the road should be pedestrianises 24 hours a day.

He added: ’Let’s see how it operates. If people go down and support it, it will be a success. If people feel the quay is not where they want to be, that will be the end of it.’

There are some misgivings about the scheme because of the disruption elsewhere in the town, with the promenade works, for example.

’It couldn’t have come at a worse time with everything that’s going on around town,’ Councillor Christian said. ’But you cannot make an omelette without cracking eggs.’

He said there was a lack of car parking in the town at the moment.

’But I think it has been done with the best of intentions. It is there to try to assist businesses and bring people to that end of town in the night time in a more relaxed environment.’

Businesses elsewhere fear that making the North Quay a more attractive place to go might take trade away from them.

’We do have this thing in the Isle of Man where we don’t like change. This is a six-week trial. Let’s give it a go.’