Free parking on the promenade could cost either Douglas ratepayers or island tax payers, the leader of the borough council has warned.

David Christian was responding to concerns from councillors that the free parking on Loch Promenade has led to a loss of income in council run car parks.

The free parking was put in place to help businesses after most road side parking from Broadway to the Sea Terminal was suspended while the promenade regeneration works are carried out.

According to the council, this has led to its Bottleneck, Chester Street and Drumgold Street car parks see falling numbers of usage. The Chester Street and Drumgold Street car parks are owned by the Department of Infrastructure but operated by the council under a licence agreement.

Mr Christian warned members that their decision to scrap free Sunday parking at Chester Street may also have impacted use of the sites.

Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said the fall in usage was ’brought about by the government’.

He added that an officer had provided a ’snapshot count’ over the previous three months which showed that in March, Chester Street was 56% full, in April it was 35% and in May that had fallen to 29%.

These figures led to Mr McNicholl saying the council ’could rent out half of the car park for football practice at times’.

Mr Christian said that from the public’s point of view, ’if it is free, they’ll use it’.

He added: ’We were advised it would be to replace Loch Promenade parking, but it has emptied out car parks and we are therefore looking at a shortfall in our budget.

’We will either have to raise the rates or refuse to pay the full amount and subtract the difference in income from what we pay the DoI. If they want to take action, then go ahead and take action.’

In a written answer to a question from Councillor John Skinner, Mr Christian said the council had sent a letter outlining its full concerns over the parking to the DoI on May 29 and while it had been acknowledged, the council was awaiting a ’fuller reply’.

The Examiner contacted the DoI for its views on the car parking situation. However a spokesman said the department did not want to comment.