A Castletown commissioner would like to see the town’s market square fully pedestrianised for the summer months.

Beth Cannan will present the proposal to her colleagues next Monday in a public sitting.

In recent years, half of the square has been set aside for deckchairs where residents and visitors can relax, play games, and even play the piano in the summer.

Now Mrs Cannan wants to expand and enhance the area, moving existing blue badge parking spaces into the town hall courtyard.

‘In my opinion it is a community area and that’s what it should be – and it is only on a trial basis,’ Mrs Cannan said.

‘If it doesn’t work I’m quite happy to hold my hands up and say “look, it doesn’t work, lets go back to how it was”.’

Asked about the concerns raised around parking, she said: ‘There is parking available, if people will walk, or cycle [in], [then] you don’t have to sit there eating your sandwiches with car fumes.

She added that she was not concerned about the fact that there would still be through-traffic on the road going past the square, because the pedestrian area would be barricaded off.

And as for businesses worried that this could lead to a loss of customers, Mrs Cannan said that ‘there actually isn’t any evidence that they will lose customers, from studies done in other places they found that they didn’t – and I’m hoping that’s going to be the same [here].’

While opinions in the town are divided, MHKs for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Tim Glover and Jason Moorhouse agree that engagement and clarity will be the key components to the scheme’s success.

Mr Glover said: ‘In the past I didn’t think it was a good idea but I’ve been proved wrong and I’m prepared to admit that the square in the summer has been a real go-to place – as long as the businesses have been consulted properly.’

‘There has been concern raised by blue badge holders, because notoriously there, and the gap between The George and the Co-op get buffeted by the wind, and is quite dangerous at times whether you’re blue badge or able.’

He added that rearranging the square could pose issues for people with visual impairments who had become accustomed to its layout.

Mr Moorhouse said that there were enough parking spaces, and that maybe things like click and collect services could be brought in at the town hall to alleviate problems.