The rift has deepened between Ramsey Commissioners and the Department of Infrastructure over the proposed flood protection scheme for West Quay.

A letter from the department seeking ’confirmation that Ramsey Commissioners’ support the scheme, and an assurance that it will not object when the planning application is submitted’ has further angered the board, who feel they have been backed into a corner.

Lead member for finance Juan McGuinness said the DoI’s attitude amounted to a ’take it or leave it threat’.

’They are backing us into a corner with their aggressive approach and bully-boy tactics’, he added.

The letter from the DoI said that public reaction to the recent display in the town hall was ’positive’ - but Mr McGuinness pointed out that the plans were displayed for only four hours on a Friday morning when most people were at work.

He also queried why the DoI had agreed to a five-year lease of the Albert Road School site, to use as a car park for vehicles displaced by the quayside scheme - especially as the site was originally owned by government and sold to a private developer to whom they would now be paying rent.

’It’s illogical. It would only provide a temporary fix for what would be a major government scheme,’ he said.

Finlo Williams was equally disappointed with the DoI: ’We’ve had three meetings with them and they haven’t taken any notice of anything we’ve said’, he noted. ’The letter seems like a threat - that if we don’t accept the plans then we’ll get nothing.’

Julia Wedgwood, who lives on the quay, said it was important to have flood defences in place in case of rising sea levels, and she was in favour of enhancing the quayside, but she had reservations about the materials.

The strongest opponent of the scheme was Wilf Young, who promised that, if necessary, he would raise a petition to stop it.

The debate ended in agreement to write and invite the Minister, Tim Baker, and the director of highway services, Jeffrey Robinson, to meet the commissioners and explain why their views were being ignored. Proposals for tidal flood protection and quayside enhancement has sparked an angry response from the town commissioners, who say their views have been ignored.