On Air Greatest Hits Chris Kinley | 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Douglas Promenade works - the effect on local businesses

Perspective

Sunday, 28 July 2019 - 1 hour 23 minutes

We've heard lots over the past few days, weeks and months about Douglas promenade.

The ongoing refurbishment works there are estimated to take around two years, and it's thought to be the first major excavation of the capital's highway in 90 years.

However, Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer says the project is already something like eight or ten weeks behind schedule.

Motorists who use the route may well have experienced delays, parking spaces have been lost or moved, and pedestrians may have struggled to cross in places with the central corridor shut for extended lengths.

But those who have felt perhaps the biggest impact are some of the businesses situated along the front, and members of Tynwald's environment and infrastructure policy review committee made it their mission to find out just what effect the works have had on them.

Having heard from infrastructure bosses, chairman Rob Callister MHK, Chris Robertshaw and Clare Bettison heard from representatives of five businesses - Nigel Fogg, Managing Director of Cunard Hotel, Kaye Harvey, Central Reservations Manager at Sleepwell Hotels, Tim Baggaley, General Manager of the Regency and Penta Hotels, Denis Staunton of Paparazzi Restaurant and Adrian Brockhouse, Group Operations Director, Sefton Group.

You can listen to some extracts from that discussion here, and hear the views of the politicians afterwards.

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