The multi-million pound revamp of Douglas Promenade has come in for new criticism after a storm wreaked havoc on the sea front.

With climate experts predicting sea rises of up to 25cm by the middle of the century - and 77cm by 2100 if emissions aren’t cut - the area will be much more vulnerable.

The regeneration of the promenade was arguably a golden opportunity to prepare to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Now two MHKs have expressed disappointment at the lack of sea defences following the events of Storm Barra.

Douglas East MHKs Joney Faragher and Clare Barber have hit out at the Department of Infrastructure, saying they are disappointed and frustrated that more hasn’t been done.

Last week’s storm brought winds that touched up to 80mph and the strong winds combined with the high tide to damage the wall that surrounds the sunken gardens.

Following the event, the DoI told the Isle of Man Examiner that a planning application to construct a 500m section of sea wall on Douglas Promenade was recently dropped.

The sea wall was supposed to stretch between the War Memorial and The Empress Hotel and was approved on appeal in May 2020.

A spokesperson for the DoI said: ’The object of this work was to protect the Broadway and Harris Promenade area from wave overtopping.’

FUNDING

The work was successfully tendered and the DoI’s intention was for the work to be undertaken between April and July 2021, but ’due to a lack of available funding, this was not taken forward’.

The DoI said it is now ’reviewing options’ for sea defences on the prom.

Douglas East MHK Clare Barber said: ’I have been frustrated that the sea wall and promenade walkway weren’t part of the overall promenade scheme from the beginning.

’This was raised within Environment and Infrastructure Policy Review Committee reports and is a key part of the promenade regeneration.’

Mrs Barber added: ’It is imperative that effective sea defences are put in place along the Douglas Promenade and that any scheme is managed to provide minimal disruption to businesses and residents.’

Joney Faragher, also a MHK for Douglas East, had concerns for businesses along the promenade.

She said: ’I’m disappointed in the lack of mitigation and climate adaptation here. Climate scientists have been predicting more frequent extreme weather events and rising sea levels for decades. I find it hard to understand why this wasn’t at the forefront of planners’ minds in this project.’

Ms Faragher said she hoped sea defences would become a priority in the future.

She added: ’It’s always cheaper and more efficient to get it right early - and I do hope that at very least this has been learned from and that adaptation in terms of sea defences will be a priority, both in the rebuild operation in the wake of Storm Barra, and in the longer term as our climate changes and sea levels rise.

’We must get this right for the many residents and businesses along our promenade.’

Douglas Council has detailed the damage that was done to the sunken gardens last week.

A spokesperson said: ’A wall has collapsed and the council will be getting a structural engineer in to assess what remains. It’s a major clean-up exercise.

’The playground has been badly damaged, the fountain was damaged, several bins were damaged, several benches were broken and will need to be repaired.

’The marine gardens will be closed until the council is content they are safe for the public to use or walk through.’

The council has ’no idea’ of the cost to repair these things as it will ’take some time to calculate’.

According to the DoI, the damage to Ramsey sea wall inflicted by Storm Barra has been inspected by highways structural engineers and they reported that the minor damage was non-structural and would be repaired ’in due course’.

DAMAGE

Meanwhile, Manx National Heritage is asking the public to report back if they find any signs of damage from the storm in the next few days as it undertakes a survey and assessment of damage across its owned sites.

It is responsible for the care of a large number of built heritage sites across the island, including Castle Rushen, Peel Castle, Rushen Abbey and Cregneash, as well as many monument sites in the countryside, such as Cashtal yn Ard, The Braaid and the Sound and Meayll Circle. It also cares for thousands of acres of natural heritage landscape.

Early indications of land, monuments and properties assessed so far are ’positive’, according to MNH, but it will ’take time to assess everything’.