The town centre zone of Douglas should not be extended out to the Quarter Bridge roundabout.

A proposal to extend the centre of the island’s capital was made as part of the area plan for the east. However this has been rejected by inquiry chairman Michael Hurley.

Douglas town centre has not been clearly defined in a development plan but it has been recognised in the Douglas master plan as stretching from the Villa Marina to the South Quay up to the commercial area near Circular Road and to the Sea Terminal.

Under the draft area plan, this would be extended to include Hills Meadow Industrial Estate, along Peel Road, the Bowl and up to just before the Quarter Bridge.

The proposed extension was called the ’Riverside Gateway’ in the Cabinet Office proposals.

Douglas Council objected to this during the inquiry, telling Mr Hurley that the area ’did not possess any of the characteristics of a town centre’.

And it said the inclusion of the area would ’dilute’ the chance of office and retails developments in the commercial core of Douglas such as Strand Street or the South Quay.

Mr Hurley said: ’The Quarter Bridge junction is the best part of a mile from the western edge of the central area as described in the central Douglas master plan; and almost two miles from the Sea Terminal.

’The Hills Meadow Industrial Estate, and land to the north of Pulrose Road [The Bowl], do not have the characteristics of a town centre.’

He added: ’In my view, office and retail development should be concentrated in the commercial heart of Douglas, which properly excludes the Riverside Gateway.

’I note that there is a substantial amount of vacant land and unused retail and office floor space in central Douglas, awaiting re-occupation or redevelopment.’