There are no plans to improve access from Castletown promenade to the beach.

Replying to a House of Keys question from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew), Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker said his department had no plans to change the existing access and it was not a priority.

Mr Moorhouse asked whether re-wilding was taking place and rocks and materials allowed to build up.

He said the rocks prevented people getting to the beach and asked what action the Department of Infrastructure could take to ensure disabled people and young children could gain access.

Mr Baker said: ’We have got a natural environment on Castletown beach which changes with the tide, in terms of stones, rocks, seaweed and that is something that will continue to carry on.’

He acknowledged that while there was there a slipway onto the beach, it was ’less than ideal’, and presented challenges to address for people to access the beach.

’However, with a natural environment, the department is not going to start intervening to actively manage the beach and if it did it is unlikely to make significant progress because the rocks quite regularly get reorganised, reshaped by the power of the tide,’ the minister added.

’You could potentially spend an awful lot of money to address access to Castletown beach but it is not a priority.

’Castletown is not one of the beaches for which the local authority has asked for it to be a designated bathing beach so it is very difficult to justify further investment in that regard.

’That contrasts with Douglas, Port St Mary, Port Erin and Ramsey.’