Parking is to be free after 3pm on weekdays at one of the biggest car parks in Douglas.
The move, at the Chester Street facility, is designed to boost retailing in the capital.
The town’s council took over management of the site together with Drumgold Street car park on June 1 as part of the government’s policy to transfer services to local authorities.
The council will be trialling ‘free after three’ parking on Monday to Fridays and a flat-rate charge of £2 all day on Saturdays.
‘We recognise that Drumgold Street car park operating often at near-100 per cent capacity could deter shoppers and give the misleading impression that there is nowhere to park in the town centre.
‘Chester Street is a convenient alternative and this has led to our trialling the “free after three” scheme there, an incentive known to be successful in the adjacent isle [the UK] and especially popular with parents already out in their cars having collected their children from school.
‘Additionally weekends for many people provide the only occasion for shopping as a family and with this in mind we are introducing a £2 flat rate to park in Chester Street all day on Saturdays when motorists will also be permitted to use the contract spaces on levels 7, 8 and 9 as well as on Sundays
Chester Street along with Shaw’s Brow and the Bottleneck car parks continue to be free on Sundays.
Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce retail committee Stephen Bradley said: ‘For some time trading conditions have been challenging while works to improve the main shopping area were being carried out. The completed regeneration scheme has, however, been welcomed by traders and we believe that those improvements combined with this new fee structure for Chester Street car park will encourage increased footfall.’
At one point the council discussed having different rates for parking in different facilities.
