Castletown Square

Summary

The requester asked for documentation regarding the economic impact and consultation on the permanent closure of Castletown Square as a car park. The Department for Enterprise responded that it does not hold any such information as it was not consulted on the decision, which was made by the Castletown Commissioners.

Key Facts

• The Department for Enterprise does not hold information relating to the closure of Castletown Square.
• The department was not involved in discussions or decisions regarding the permanent closure of the square to vehicular parking.
• The closure was requested by the Castletown Commissioners, not the Department for Infrastructure (DoI).
• The Department for Enterprise typically only consults on temporary road closures that impact the local economy.
• The requester was advised to contact the Castletown Commissioners directly for a Freedom of Information request.

Data Disclosed

• 20/07/23
• 2025-04-08
• 2025-05-09
• 4571469
• Feb 2024

Original Request

Please provide a copy of all documentation since 20/07/23 relating to Castletown Square and the economy of the town including emails with the DOI relating to the permanent closure the square as a car park that was applied for by the board of Castletown Commissioners. Regards Good afternoon, I don't believe the DOI consulted with your department in relation to the winter closure of the square based on the impact on the retail centre. This relates specifically to parking spaces and retail. They are not retail experts so should have reached outside of their silo to speak to those for expert advice/ opinion on the likely affect on the retail centre and the economy of Castletown town centre. So I wish to see any information in relation to such a discussion. Regards, Jimmy

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator 1st Floor, St Georges Court Upper Church Street, Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EX

Telephone: (01624 686400) Website: https://www.iomdfenterprise.im/

Our ref: 4571469 9th May 2025

Dear ###

Re: Freedom of Information Request

I write further to your request received on the 8th April 2025, which states:

"Please provide a copy of all documentation since 20/07/23 relating to Castletown Square and the economy of the town including emails with the DOI relating to the permanent closure the square as a car park that was applied for by the board of Castletown Commissioners.

Regards”

Further to the above we asked you to provide some clarification in relation to the specifics of your question, you responded:-

“I don’t believe the DOI consulted with your department in relation to the winter closure of the square based on the impact on the retail centre. This relates specifically to parking spaces and retail. They are not retail experts so should have reached outside of their silo to speak to those for expert advice/ opinion on the likely affect on the retail centre and the economy of Castletown town centre. So I wish to see any information in relation to such a discussion.“

Our response to your request is:-

The Department for Enterprise does not hold any information relating to the closure of Castletown Square.

The Department has supported numerous events in Castletown Square through the Domestic Event Fund but has not been involved with discussions around nor the decision taken to close the Square to vehicular parking.

The DoI usually work with the Department on temporary closures to understand the potential economic impact of any particular road closure but that does tend to be more focused on temporary closures which could potentially impact on the local economy.

As this closure was not of a temporary nature and because it had been requested by the Castletown Commissioners the Department would not usually be consulted or involved in the discussions concerning such a road closure.

The Local Economy Strategy has produced documentation around the importance of place development https://www.businessisleofman.com/media/r5fblgqo/isle-of-man-town-audits-feb-2024-003.pdf which does review the impact of the local area which the enquirer might find useful as Castletown square is mentioned.

However, you may wish to contact Castletown Commissioners who might be able to help you raise a Freedom of Information request with them.

Please quote the reference number 4571469 in any future communications.

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Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

James Ireland Freedom of Information Co-ordinator