Castletown's Market Square will close to traffic for summer

Castletown Commissioners will close the town’s Market Square to traffic this summer.

The decision was made during Monday evening’s fortnightly sitting of the Commission, which had to be moved to a larger room to accommodate the large audience.

In recent years, half of the square has been closed to traffic through the summer, a scheme which has been well-supported by local businesses and residents alike.

So why is it changing?

Jamie Horton is Chair of the commissioners:

The original motion was to close the whole of the square to traffic for six months, but an amendment from Jimmy Cubbon saw this reduced to four:

Although the amendment was carried with unanimous support from the board, trades persons in attendance expressed deep dissatisfaction with the decision. 

Local business owner, Chris, says even weekend events held in the square have a significant impact on his takings:

The closure is due to take place from Friday 29 April until Tuesday 6 September.