Tynwald Mills is set to host a Christmas ice rink again this year, as long as planners give the go ahead.

The company that owns the St John’s shopping complex says it is a crucial seasonal extra that helps to protect jobs and boost the economy,

It has submitted an application (17/00915/B) for permission to erect a temporary marquee on part of its overflow car park, for 60 days.

The timeframe would allow for 30 days of operating the ice rink, with two weeks either side to put up and dismantle the rink and marquee.

In a letter to the government planning department, Tynwald Mills (IoM) director Stephen Bradley says the company has operated a temporary ice rink over the past four years.

He states: ’The ice rink has helped the business maintain its market share in an increasingly competitive online marketplace at one of the key trading times of the year.’

A temporary Christmas ice rink had previously been operated in the Villa Marina gardens, Douglas. That operation stopped and then, in 2013, a Christmas ice rink was launched at Tynwald Mills.

’When the ice rink moved to Tynwald Mills, it did so as it was unable to receive the backing and financial undertaking from previous locations, which Tynwald Mills offered,’ Mr Bradley adds.

’It is essential that we continue to protect our business from off-island competition in our most important key trading periods, to secure over 100 jobs, while we meet our customers’ need.

’Through providing ice skating at Tynwald Mills, we are actively encouraging people to shop local and making a valuable contribution to the local economy.’

More than 1,800 school children attended discounted skating sessions last year, he says, and the rink ’gives something back to the community’ by also offering free sessions to ’groups which would not normally get the opportunity to take part in this enjoyable seasonal activity’.

Earlier this year, Tynwald Mills (IoM) failed in a bid to be allowed to keep a marquee erected on a permanent basis.

The business kept the marquee up after Christmas 2015 and subsequently, sought retrospective permission to leave the marquee up for five years, to enable it to be used for a limited number of other functions through the year. It cited the cost of dismantling and erecting the marquee as one of the reasons.

However, planners refused that application amid concerns about the impact on a ’sensitive’ rural area and fears over encouraging ’unsustainable travel’, as well as a potential negative impact on the ’vitality and viability of urban centres’. An appeal against that decision failed.