At the Commissioners’ January Board meeting the following resolutions were made:

The Board agreed  to relocate nine number parking spaces reserved for Church Street residents to a new location behind the Deanery in the Derby Road Car Park. This is a reduction in the number of spaces reserved for Church Street residents between 8:30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday but should increase their use based on the outcome of a consultation with Church Street residents. The current reserved spaces located adjacent to the Cathedral wall will be remarked for public use because they are closer to the retail area and are visible to traffic seeking parking on Derby Road. In addition, it was agreed all parking spaces in the Derby Road Car park will have a maximum parking period of 18 hours in every 24 hours restriction and to restrict vehicle size to ensure they fit in a standard car parking space.

The Board agreed to undertake a consultation on the Commissioners’ other car parks to ascertain if their use can be improved including the turn over of spaces in car parks neighbouring the town centre.

The Board agreed the inflationary increases for the 2026/27 year for the Energy from Waste Plant, the Western Civic Amenity Site and the domestic refuse collection contract.

The Board agreed an inflationary £11 increase in Peel’s refuse rate from £263 to £274 per property and a below inflation increase in the Town rate of 3p from 272p to 275p for the 2026/27 financial year commencing on 1 April 2026.

The Board agreed the additional income from increasing the Town rate would be used to fund a new Fenella Beach shelter and the renovation of the Castle Street Gardens in accordance with the Board’s Strategy and Objectives.

The Board agreed further representations must be made to the Department of Infrastructure expressing local authority concerns relating to the Waste Strategy and  the implications of Clause 5 of the Local Government Amendment Act. Both of these documents were prepared, and Tynwald support sought, without undertaking stakeholder consultation with Local Authorities and assessing their impact on rate payers.

The Board agreed to consult Government Departments on how to implement a strategy for Peel’s Places and Spaces. The Board agreed it would be difficult to lead on a project of this nature when the assets were owned and maintained by Government including Michael Street.

The Board agreed to submit a response to the consultation on the proposed changes to the shared equity purchase assistance scheme. The Board agreed the proposed increase in financial thresholds to access this scheme and the ability of all new residents to access this scheme could have the unintended consequence of increasing demand and house prices particularly for the choice scheme.

The Board welcomed the changes to the planned Manx Utility Peel Promenade work’s programme following their meeting with Commissioners resulting in this work not taking place during the Summer months and only closing the road to traffic during the winter months.