Work has begun to move the historic Jubilee Clock as part of the redevelopment of Loch Promenade in Douglas.

The clock, which commemorates Queen Victoria’s golden Jubilee in 1887, has been dismantled once before but has always occupied the same position.

The operation which is phase one of improvement works to the seafront - involving the area between the Sea Terminal and Peveril Square - will see the clock move about 25 feet from its current position bringing it closer to the former Bushy’s pub building.

Jim Davidson, highways schemes manager for the Department of Infrastructure which is carrying out the work, said: ‘It’s a bit of an operation to do it with it being well over 100 years old. It weighs about two and a half tons and it’s made of cast iron.’

The clock was last dismantled in 1996 as part of the IRIS scheme and at that time it was sent away to the UK to be refurbished and repainted. To make the move the clock will be unbolted in sections and the clock faces removed before it is lifted piece by piece to its new location.

Work will start in October and take around two days once the new base is prepared and the electricity supply installed. Mr Davidson said the new clock will have seating around the base making it more of a focal point. Access for pedestrians will be made easier and there will be more space for traffic by the horse tram lines by the end of Victoria Street.

The clock is one of a number which marked Victoria’s jubilee. Weymouth in Dorset also has one. The only other built to the same casting however is in Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

Originally weight driven and lit by gas, the mechanism and illumination are both now electric.

Four of the island’s top young linguists had to decipher a ninth century Nuskhuri alphabet at the 2013 International Linguistics Olympiad.

The secondary school students competed with teams from 30 other countries at the event, at Manchester University.

The team was made up of year 12 Queen Elizabeth II High School students Erin McNulty and Doona Lambden, and year 13 students Byron Slater, of St Ninian’s High School, and Charlotte Tyler, of Ramsey Grammar School.

Bob Teare, head of Manx language with the Department of Education and Children, said: ‘None of them won a medal, but it was a very strong showing considering that this was our first attempt.’

The team had four hours to decipher the alphabet and translate into English a list of the 100 most influential books ever written.

Mr Teare said that just three minutes into the challenge ‘an excited member of the US team that went on to win gold suddenly stood up and announced: “Oh! I can read this! It’s in ninth century Nuskhuri script!”.’

He said: ‘By the end of the contest the Manx team had deciphered large parts of the code, and worked out that it was a list of books and authors.

‘A mammoth task of code breaking, which earned a respectable result for the team, but unfortunately wasn’t enough for a medal.’

Next year’s Olympiad takes place in Beijing. Mr Teare has been invited to take a team to an intensive coaching programme at the University of Wrocław ahead of the event.

He said he would love to hear from any companies or individuals who would be willing to assist, and especially from any keen young linguist who would like to challenge for a place on the team.

The team thanked the Steam Packet for its support.

A Jurby farmer has expressed her concerns over the review of the Countryside Care Scheme saying it will put a lot of small farmers out of business.

Maureen Owens, owner of Ballagarraghyn farm, fears the worst.

She told the Examiner: ‘One clause relates to acreage payments.

‘After the historic payments finish, mine is based on the headage on stock supplied to the abattoir averaged out over three years before the scheme was introduced, then only farmers with 20 plus acres will be entitled to be paid on the acreage they farm, whether they are producing food, renting it out or just keeping it tidy.

‘My family have farmed at Ballagarraghyn since the 1890s.

‘Once the heritage payments cease I will be disenfranchised and receive no payments because I only farm 14 to 15 acres’, said Mrs Owens.

‘My payment has already decreased this year and will do so by increments until the heritage payments are phased out and only payment on acreage is allowed.

‘I believe this clause is unfair, unjustified and without precedence.

‘In the UK, land of 2.47 acres or more receives the payment,’ she added.

Ed Clague, DEFA agricultural policy manager, said: ‘The Countryside Care Scheme (CCS) replaced production subsidies with an area payment for maintaining land in good agricultural and environmental condition.

‘The CCS was one of seven steps put forward by the then DAFF in its 2008 Vision for Agriculture.

The Vision was support by all the agricultural industry representative bodies and received unanimous Tynwald support in April 2008.

‘The concept behind a minimum area claim is to differentiate between land used for commercial farming purposes and land used for a lifestyle activity.

‘Whilst this is higher than the UK, where the low level has attracted some criticism for resulting in payments to small parcels of lifestyle activity land, the larger minimum area for the CCS was set with the full agreement of stakeholder groups to target funding towards commercial enterprises.

‘DEFA welcomes the current review of agricultural policy being undertaken by the Environment and Infrastructure Policy Review Committee and looks forward to any comment it has on this or another aspect of current agricultural policy,’ added Mr Clague.

Vending machines might normally be associated with chocolate bars and cups of coffee, but at Noble’s Hospital one has another purpose entirely.

It’s designed to cater for a new mother’s needs.

MannVend recently installed it in the maternity unit at Noble’s Hospital.

Lead midwife for inpatient services, Jane Gray, came up with the idea after the move to the Braddan site meant the nearest chemist was a car journey away.

‘No matter how conscientious a new parent you are, it’s always possible you’ll forget to bring something essential with you that you and your baby may need Ms Gray said. ‘Babies can arrive any time night or day, so we needed a facility that could supply provisions 24/7.’

The machine addresses just such an eventuality, stocking every mother and baby care essential a new parent could possibly need, including cotton wool, nipple cream but not, according to the hospital, nappies.

This is a double celebration, as not only is this the most unusual vending project that Mann Vend has ever undertaken, but is also the 5,000th machine the company has installed on the island.

A family-owned business which has been run by three generations of the Leahy family, MannVend has been operating since 1967.

It now the oldest vending machine specialist in the island and employs a team of 30 staff with an range of customers from small offices, schools, cafes and restaurants, to large offices and factories, serving over 35,000 drinks and other refreshments a day.

Christine O’Hanlon, sales manager at MannVend, said: ‘We thrive on a challenge here at MannVend and were delighted to assist the maternity ward with this project.

‘Our philosophy at Mann Vend has always been to “make it easy”, both for our clients and their public, and this project is the perfect demonstration of this sentiment.

‘It is a strange but fortunate coincidence that we were given the opportunity to develop this machine to mark our 5,000th installation and it has been great fun working with the team at the Noble’s maternity unit. We hope we’ve made a great difference to the experience of new parents across the island and look forward to our next 5,000 machines!’

Manx Cancer Help has received a donation of £10,000 from Douglas firm Knox House Trust.

The corporate service provider has handed over the money to the Manx charity, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Trust managing director Simon Duggan said: ‘Knox House Trust is delighted to donate funds to Manx Cancer Help who are such a worthwhile local charity.

‘It’s great to see the charity go from strength to strength, through their incredible and tireless work within the local community, providing much needed help and support to those affected by cancer.’

Ally Martin, MCH fund-raising co-ordinator, said: ‘The services that Manx Cancer Help provide are essential within the local community and are only possible thanks to kind donations such as Knox House Trust’s.

‘Manx Cancer Help is about empowering people to live with, through and beyond cancer and funding allowing, will continue to do so.

‘I would like to thank Simon, Doug and Knox House Trust for their kind donation, which will allow us to continue our services for Manx people.’

Manx Cancer Help provides emotional support and expert counselling for cancer patients, their families, carers and friends. It offers a series of free, confidential sessions, face-to-face and over the phone, to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis.

More passengers have been using the island’s airport, according to figures released by the government.

During June 2013 a 6.56 per cent increase was recorded. Passenger numbers rose by more than 4,600 to 75,211 bringing the cumulative increase so far this year to 5.3 per cent.

In June 2007, the number using the airport was 76,500.

However, as the Manx Independent reports tomorrow, changes in destinations in the near future are likely to make it difficult to maintain the improving trend at Ronaldsway.

Peter Corlett, once dubbed the ‘Marathon Man accountant’, has retired from BDO after 46 years.

Mr Corlett started at W H Walker in 1967. The firm later became Pannell Fitzpatrick, then Pannell Kerr Forster, PKF and this year, BDO.

Colleagues at the Peel Road, Douglas offices bid farewell last Wednesday.

His first job was to produce accounts from incomplete records in a small room with three colleagues and a one-bar electric heater.

This was pre-decimalisation, pre-Vat and pre-calculators.

The office resounded to the tapping of typewriter keys, documents were transmitted by telex, copied by Gestetner machines and everyone was addressed by surname.

Peter also worked on audits and could be out of the office for months at a time on government or local authority business.

He was always equipped with the standard issue blue, red and green Bic biros as the colour of audit ticks varied from year to year.

Peter was the first from the firm to take a battery operated calculator out on an audit in 1972.

He has some fine sporting memories as a member of Braddan FC’s first team and leading the firm’s team to many successes in the 70’s.

After a knee injury he turned to fell running and marathons – the Examiner dubbed him the ‘Marathon Man Accountant’.

At one time he held the island veteran’s javelin record and is still no mean golfer.

Peter’s colleagues at BDO said they would miss his modesty, ability and keen sense of humour.

A spokesman said: ‘We wish Peter a very happy retirement.’

Proposed fuel price concessions for those in rural areas around the UK will not be mirrored in the Isle of Man, the Treasury Minister has said.

Lower pump prices for motorists in far flung areas such as the rural south west which could see as much as five pence taken off the price of a litre of fuel will not be possible for the Isle of Man according to Eddie Teare.

‘We are not eligible to make this reduction because we are not part of the EU and we are responsible for our own finances,’ he said.

Mr Teare compared the situation with that of transport to and from the Scottish isles is also subsidised by the EU in some cases. As a non EU member he said the island can’t benefit from this even though it does have the right to trade with EU members.

Membership would not benefit the island, he added: ‘Our national income per head of population is above the EU average so if we were to join we would end up being a net contributer,’ he said.

Though the island’s government is separate from the UK it is governed by a customs and excise agreement with the UK which covers items such as road fuel, alcohol and tobacco. This keeps duty on those items in line with the UK which in turn eliminates the need to pass through customs when travelling between the two jurisdictions, he said.

He also pointed out a report by the Office of Fair Trading on island fuel prices in 2009-10 found no evidence of excessive road fuel pricing.

‘It’s one draw-back of living in an island community,’ he said, adding, transportation costs boosted prices and with a relatively small population and lower turn-over retailers could not achieve the same economies of scale as in the UK.

An agreement with the UK which predates decimalisation allows the island discretion on pricing up to two and a half pence (historically sixpence) per litre but Mr Teare said the island was already taking advantage of this.

‘In terms of any more rebates on fuel oil we can’t do any more. It would be in contravention of our UK customs and excise agreement,’ Mr Teare said.

As for some kind of government subsidy, resources are simply not available to do it: ‘We already have difficult decisions to make about allocating reduced resources,’ he said.

The UK proposal, which will be subject to EU approval, could affect areas such as Devon, Cornwall, Herefordshire, North Yorkshire and Wales.

A similar scheme already operates in the Scottish islands and the Scilly Isles, the Inner and Outer Hebrides and the Northern Isles.

Internet fuel price comparison site petrolprices.com reported on August 1 the average UK price of a litre of unleaded petrol was 137.22, the lowest price was 130.7 and the top price was 148.9.

For diesel, average price was 141.51 with the lowest price 135.7 and the highest 154.9.

Currently the Total filling station on Peel Road has unleaded fuel at 142.9 per litre, super unleaded petrol is 146.9 and diesel is 146.9. At the Milestone filling station unleaded is 142.9, diesel is 146.9 and super unleaded is 147.9 pence.

A TT world series could be a possibility as soon as 2015 if enough backers can be found for the project.

Laurence Skelly MHK, a political member of the government’s Department of Economic Development, said they were currently seeking expressions of interest in creating a World TT series but it was very much at the planning stage at present.

‘A feasibility study was done two years ago and it was quite extensive looking into the prospects of the World Series,’ he said.

‘We are now looking at the business case and we are hoping to go round the world with it.’

He said the hope was to create a series of TT type races which could be held in different countries around the world using the TT branding which is owned by the Isle of Man government.

The idea he said would be to create a series of road races with perhaps five or six rounds culminating in the Isle of Man TT races in June.

Countries in the southern hemisphere are likely to be favoured because of the climate as racing could be in the winter months leading up to a June finish. The idea is to have actual road races rather than circuit-based events to preserve the character of the TT.

‘That’s the uniqueness of the event that we want to capture,’ Mr Skelly said.

The hope would be for a global television audience giving further publicity to the island and the TT itself, This should promote the main TT races in June and the island as a tourist destination as well as bringing in some revenue from the use of the TT brand.

‘We hope we can capitalise on the brand, advertise the island and bring more visitors in,’ he said.

Details of precisely how the championship would work are still to be discussed but it is hoped a number of teams would enter scoring championship points at the different locations around the world.

Mr Skelly feels the series would enhance the existing TT rather than take away from it.

‘I don’t think having other TT rounds would diminish the event because the Isle of Man TT would remain unique, It’s about expanding what we already have rather than taking away from it,’ he said.

‘For example it would still be the longest course used in any of the races and there is a century of history behind it too so it has to be different.’

With the current TT races comprising a mixture of professional and non-professional riders, some with sponsorship and some self-funded, Mr Skelly accepted a world series could be prohibitively costly for a large number of the riders currently involved but thinks support is there.

The feasibility study already carried out by the government included a review of the intellectual property rights, possible locations, commercial contracts and income opportunities, marketing and promotion, safety and risk management as well as team, manufacturer and competitor involvement.

The next issue being investigated is the option of attracting a commercial partner responsible for operational aspects of the series including the Isle of Man round.

A 2015 start date could be feasible but is unlikely with so much still to be decided like sponsors, television rights and funding details: ‘We don’t want to start something that we can’t justifiably deliver,’ he said.

At the moment the government is hoping to make an announcement on the prospects for a TT world series sometime before TT 2014.

The Jane’s Big Push campaign has received a £188 boost thanks to a Mother and Baby Summer Fair.

The event was held at All Saints Church hall, in Douglas, last month.

It was organised by Sally Bimson of Willow Organic Baby, Torie Kissack from Imagination Station and Heidi Danaher of Mother & Baby Yoga.

It was advertised as the first time that friendly local service providers would be brought under one roof, and included a range of pregnancy and baby service providers.

Pictured with the cheque are Anne Marie Bowman, Aimee Pease, Anne Graham and Sally Bimson.

The Jane’s Big Push campaign is raising money to refurbish two rooms at Noble’s Hospital’s maternity unit into a home-from-home birthing room.

During the nine-month campaign, the aim is to raise £20,000.

It’s being spearheaded by the charity With Women Worldwide.

Picture: JM130729-10

We’re on track to cut the government’s wage bill by 10 per cent, Chief Minister Allan Bell has said.

It’s one of the headline figures in the Council of Ministers’ first performance report on how it’s meeting its objectives set out in the Agenda for Change policy document.

The first quarter report details progress – or otherwise – on some 71 objectives based around the government’s five policy themes: our economy, environment and infrastructure; good government, income and expenditure, and welfare reform and well-being.

Mr Bell said the government’s performance management website, featuring the report, was the first time comprehensive information about its performance had been made available to the public online.

This really is just starting the process,’ he said.

‘The real benefit will be seen as we go forward, as we have more measurable statistics to show the progress or otherwise.’

He added: ‘I hope it will be recognised that this is a genuine attempt to be more transparent and open with the public.’

The government aims to achieve a 10 per cent reduction in the cost of staffing in real terms, which means keeping the overall cost of salaries at about £300 million.

For 2013/14, a budget of £295.74m was allocated.

By the end of June, the cost was £73.73m, more than £1m under budget.

Work to reduce the number of full-time equivalent public servants by 100 in each of the next three years was described as ‘neutral’.

Mr Bell has stuck to his pledge to manage public service sickness absence so that on average, time lost was fewer than seven days per person per year.

In 2012/13, it was some 6.94 days per employee, while the latest figure is just 1.62 days.

He said: ‘Our quarter one performance report shows real tangible progress in reducing sickness absence levels.

‘There will always be a certain level, but we want to try and minimise the more marginal cases of sickness and make the necessary savings for government.’

The government wants to halve long-term unemployment by March 21, 2015.

In October 2012, the figure stood at 205. By the end of June, it was cut by 10 to 195.

The Department of Economic Development is tasked with driving growth in ‘emerging innovative sectors’, success of which will be measured by the number of new jobs created in these sectors.

And it is also looking to increase the proportion of the island’s gross domestic product from outside the UK.

Mr Bell said: ‘It’s a difficult one in the short term to show real progress because the gestation period in developing new sectors can be quite lengthy, but the commitment is absolute.’

Work is continuing towards the introduction of a Bill which provides a legislative framework for suitable freedom of information rights by December 31.

The report states: ‘Work to finalise policy decisions is under way and the project to prepare the Bill is a priority for the Chief Secretary’s Office.’

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has been set the objective of working in partnership with local authorities to improve the management and control of ‘unsightly and dilapidated that have a negative impact on our communities’.

No information was available on current performance but the trend was measured as ‘neutral’.

Performance was measured as ‘negative’ towards cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the island by 80 per cent from the 1990 levels by 2050.

In 1990, some 492,880 tonnes of CO2 was produced in the island. The latest figure, in 2010, was 567,953 tonnes.

The Chief Minister insisted dropping the target of producing 15 per cent of energy by renewable sources by 2015 was the right decision, saying government maintained its commitment to renewable energy, and the new target was ‘more realistic’.

The next report is due by the end of October. Email feedback on the report to performance@gov.im

The newly-appointed ports director Ann Reynolds has said the merger of the airports and harbours divisions ‘makes complete sense’.

Ms Reynolds, who took on the role last week, said she was looking forward to working on the strategic side of the harbours side, admitting she was a ‘big fan’ of the Steam Packet ‘and always have been’.

And she said she had a ‘healthy respect’ for Steam Packet chief executive Mark Woodward and the user agreement, which gives exclusive use of the link span at the Douglas Harbour to the company. Ms Reynolds, who has been the director of Isle of Man Airport since May 2007, has taken on the role of ports director following the retirement of Captain Mike Brew.

Infrastructure Minister David Cretney has said the merger is initially an interim measure while work continues on the review of the structure and Scope of Government.

Looking to the future of both the airport and the harbours, Ms Reynolds said: ‘We are in the hands of the government’s political decision for both operations.’ She said her priority was to maintain safety and services. Ms Reynolds said both the harbours and airport had ‘no real issues’ on the day-to-day side. But she said that in strategic terms, they both have some ‘quite big topics on the table’.

At the airport, easyJet are yet to confirm the timing of a second flight to Gatwick and she is waiting to hear BA CityFlyer’s summer timetable in respect of London City. A Tynwald committee is also considering the open skies policy.

On the harbours side, Ellan Vannin Line has unveiled plans for a new daily cargo service to Heysham. A passenger service could follow by TT next year. She said it was important to remember her role encompassed more than just Douglas harbour, pointing to the success of the work in Peel to turn it into a ‘very nice and busy operation’.

Funding for strengthening of Port St Mary’s Alfred Pier is due to be sought in the 2014/15 budget process.

This year’s Royal Manx Agricultural Show at Knockaloe farm in Patrick promises to be full of thrills and spills with two stunt teams included in the entertainment.

The Stampede Stunt Company, started by husband and wife team Karl Greenwood and Zana Cousins-Greenwood, put on medieval stunt shows, trick riding shows and horse archery displays.

At Knockaloe they will be showing off their jousting skills.

‘This will be our first visit. We’re very excited about coming to this island,’ said Karl.

‘We do shows all over the UK and abroad at places like family fun days, country shows and in castles,’ he added.

Asked how the idea for the show began he explained: ‘We had a trapeze, fire-eating and stilts act in a circus and we got asked to appear in a medieval show so that’s where the idea began.

‘We do other things like teaching the horse back archery, jousting and filming in winter,’ he said.

Some of the stunt riders have appeared in TV shows such as Doctor Who, Dallas and Merlin, as well as movies like Hot Fuzz, Clash of the Titans 2, and Snow White and the Huntsman, to name just a few of their recent credits.

The stunt horses are mainly Iberian types and are also talented, even having their own CVs.

Also performing at this year’s Royal Show, which begins on Friday, will be a world record breaking cycle stunt team.

The main sponsors of the show, Manx Telecom, is bringing over the UK-based ‘3Sixty cycle’ stunt riders.

They have more than a decade of experience performing BMX and MTB tricks at festivals and last year alone set five world records.

They will also be teaching cycling tricks to children.

In addition to the stunts on show, there will also be a bunghee run challenge with a chance of winning Manx Telecom’s Ultima broadband for a year.

The bunghee run involves racing down an inflatable track while tethered to a bunghee rope. One person will be selected at random to win the broadband prize.

For more information on the Royal Show visit www.royalmanx.com

A Peel youngster has battled against the odds and is fast becoming a potential motorcycling star of the future.

TJ Teare was five years old on Saturday and is an OSET rider currently leading the Isle of Man Championship in his class, despite being born with Amniotic Band Syndrome.

The disease affected TJ’s right hand, leaving him with no fingers and a ball shaped palm.

‘With the help of my brother we have adapted the motorbike to suit his needs. He rides with a left hand throttle and a foot brake,’ said TJ’s father, James Teare.

When the youngster was just six weeks old he had his first operation to straighten the palm of his hand out and he has gone on to have three more operations to give him a small thumb and stump fingers.

This didn’t stop TJ competing in the recent World Round Trial and coming ninth in his class.

‘TJ was competing against six year olds in the event so we were really pleased with his performance.

‘He also got to meet his hero, Spanish rider Toni Bou, the six-times World Trials Champion,’ said James.

‘We’re going to travel to a few more events too,’ he added.

At the age of two TJ showed great balance on his balance bike and no fear of speed on hills.

He then progressed to a pedal cycle with stabilizers but the stabilisers didn’t last long as he wanted to be like the older children.

This was all the more incredible as he could only hold on with one hand.

Still only two, TJ was bought his first OSET bike, a small wheel and he immediately started to try and be like his dad, going over small logs.

For his fourth birthday he got the big wheel OSET, though his parents thought it would be a bit big for him, he once again proved them wrong.

TJ then joined the local NSC cycling competitions, riding against six- and seven-year-olds, but still coming out on top.

‘He is still winning every week in the same class this year,’ said James.

‘He was introduced to the OSET team at this year’s TT and they showed great interest in his riding skills.

‘TJ is one very special little boy and will stop at nothing to reach his aim,’ said his proud father.

OSET Bikes are the perfect introduction to two-wheeled sport of any kind.

They are designed as an off-road trials bike, with the aim of teaching children great balance, an understanding of body position on the bike, and throttle control, all essential skills no matter what form of motor sport you end up riding.

The bikes were introduced as part of the entertainment at the grandstand at this year’s TT. TJ has his own group on facebook which you can join at www.facebook.com/groups/382418871874355/

A new family-run cafe has opened in the Ballasalla Balthane Industrial Estate and is the first cafe to trade on the estate.

The Hard Hat Cafe, run by Trish Lunn, offers an open plan area with free wifi, a sofa, television and mobile phone charging points.

Trish opened the cafe partly to help her son, Joseph with employment after he suffered brain damage in a family car crash in 1999.

Trish herself was on a life support machine after the accident while her husband Phil and their eldest daughter were both injured in the crash.

‘Joseph had an engineering apprenticeship at Ronaldsway but the accident left him suffering from bad migraines,’ explained Trish.

Trish’s husband, Phil, is also involved. He owns a joinery business, Ellunn Mannan Joinery, and did most of the work himself on the cafe, aside from the plumbing and electrical work.

‘I do the book keeping for his joinery business too,’ said Trish.

In the kitchen is Trish’s sister, Angela Mellon, who came over from Scotland to also help with caring for Joseph.

Talking about what’s on offer, Trish said: ‘Our most popular thing is our all day breakfast and we also do a daily special, today’s is steak and chips, yesterday it was a ploughman’s.’

The cafe is open 7.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.

Ellan Vannin Line recently unveiled its plans for a new daily cargo service to Heysham.

And it has said that a passenger service could follow by TT next year.

Leah Boardman hit Strand Street, in Douglas, to ask shoppers whether they welcomed the introduction of new competition for the Steam Packet.

She asked them whether the island has a large enough population to sustain both companies?

And whether it was sometimes just cheaper to fly.

Stanley Travis of The Park, in Onchan, hoped that the launch of Ellan Vannin Line would bring down the cost of ferry travel.

He said: ‘I use the boats a couple of times a year, generally the service is good but it could be improved.

‘Hopefully a bit of competition will bring the prices down as well!’

Tracy Nicol is a regular Steam Packet customer.

She said: I have found the service to be quite average.

‘If a new company came over I would be inclined to see how they compared.’

Kenneth Renhen has just moved over to the island from Dublin.

‘The main thing I would like to see is more boats going to Dublin as the main route appears to be Belfast,’ he said.

When asked whether they thought increased competition was a good thing, Ron Fargher, of Ballakelly Farm, in Andreas, said: ‘On the face of it, it sounds like a good idea, but I think we need to be careful for what we wish for.

‘The main part of the Steam Packet’s revenue comes in from freight and if we are going to lose the freight, we as the passengers may well suffer more.’

Mr Fargher, who was in town with wife Janet, added: ‘Competition does sound good and competition is healthy but whether they are sufficient to justify two ferry services I’m not sure.’

Carol Walmsley, of Maine Road, in Port Erin, said her family would use the Steam Packet more if the cost of travel was ‘more reasonably priced’.

She said: ‘Honestly, if this idea was to go ahead we would probably look at the difference in price and if it was cheaper we would use the new service.’

Wendy Lang, of Cronkbourne Avenue, Douglas, said Ellan Vannin Line could be a good thing for the Isle of Man – if there are enough visitors.

At the moment I am very happy with the Steam Packet,’ she said.

‘We have a dog and a caravan so we use the boat around three times a year to travel to the UK.

‘I would like to see the prices that the new competition has to offer.

‘But I would hate to think that the Steam Packet would be put out of business because of the new shipping line.’

Steam Packet Company chairman Robert Quayle has insisted that they will fight off any new threat of competition.

But he admitted that if any competitor established any kind of ‘traction’ it would hit freight services which cross-support less economic services.

In turn, this could impact on passenger fares in the short term and investment plans for the future.

Ellan Vannin Line is due to launch a daily freight service from October using a roll on, roll off container vessel that could carry up to 40 trailers.

It could also carry containers, vans, cars, livestock, oversized goods, dangerous cargo and scrap.

The boat would sail at 10am from Douglas, arriving at Heysham at 2pm.

It would depart again at 7pm and arrive in Douglas at 11pm.

• What do you think? Email us your views at opinions@newsiom.co.im or send a letter to Isle of Man Newspapers, Publishing House, Peel Road, Douglas, IM1 5PZ.

An established family-owned company are celebrating after opening a new 6,000 sq ft office building.

Aston International Limited provides professional and discreet company administration, trustee and accountancy services to an international client base of private and commercial clients.  

The business has been located at premises known as Aston House on Peel Road in Douglas for the last 25 years.

Now the company, which holds a licence from the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission to provide financial services, has been handed the keys to new offices in Hope Street, Douglas.

Managing director David Griffin, together with his brother and fellow director, Robert, are the second generation of this independent privately owned business.

David and Robert said they were very proud to have succeeded in their ambition to invest and move to attractive purpose built office premises with modern infrastructure.  

David Griffin told Business News: ‘The new premises on Hope Street in Douglas has taken the name Aston House to show continuity. This is a clear message that the business is securing its future in the Isle of Man for the long term.’

Aston was an early pioneer specialising in company and trustee services when it began in 1979 from premises in Prospect Hill.

Mr Griffin said: ‘A recognition of the quality of service provided is that some of the earliest client relationships have continued over 30 years. These clients continue to be served by a dedicated established professional team.’

Some of the team, similar to David and Robert, have spent their careers at Aston.

David said he started at the company as an accounting clerk and had risen the career ladder over the years.

Susan Cubbon and Gillian Caine have been with the business ‘since day one’.

The mission to find new premises started in 2008 after the company secured the site comprising Russells the Butchers on Hope Street and a cottage on Drinkwater Lane. With the assistance of Barry Murphy of Construction Design Limited, a vision for a new office developed and the process began with the demolition of the site early in 2010.  

Planning permission for the office development was finally secured in March 2011. Auldyn Construction Limited were selected as the building contractors and building works started in July 2012.

David Griffin said the 24-strong Aston team were occupying the first and second floors giving so much more room than at the old premises on Peel Road.

The ground floor and third floor office spaces are being marketed by Black Grace Cowley.

Anyone who appeals against a planning decision will now have to pay £150 to do so.

The introduction of the one-off fee for anyone submitting a planning appeal was approved by Tynwald.

The Town and Country Planning (Appeal Fees) Order 2013, made by the Department of Infrastructure, was passed by Tynwald in July and came into effect on August 1.

Until this month it was free.

The introduction followed a consultation with the public in autumn of 2012.

Minister for Infrastructure David Cretney MHK said: ‘Currently, there is no formal charge for submitting a planning appeal in the Isle of Man.

‘However, there is a cost implication for the planning and building control division, and the chief secretary’s office in respect of preparation for, and attendance at, each appeal hearing and the issuing of decisions.

‘The department deals with around 300 planning appeals each year, which is significantly more – per head of population – than that submitted in other similar jurisdictions.

‘The set fee will provide a level of cost recovery towards the provision of the planning appeal service to all interested persons, while ensuring that the appeal fee is comparable to that applied in other jurisdictions.’

Laurence Skelly MHK, departmental politician responsible for planning, added: ‘The fee of £150 is broadly comparable to the planning appeal fee of £126 currently levied in Northern Ireland, but is substantially lower than the fee levied in the Republic of Ireland, which ranges between £175 and £3,500 depending upon the nature of the proposed development to be appealed, and that of Jersey, where the appeal fee is fixed at £200 in respect to a first party appeal and £300 for a third party appeal.

‘The major difference between the Isle of Man’s fee and other jurisdictions is that, in the event of a successful planning appeal, our order allows for the fee of £150 to be refunded in full.’

Meanwhile, the government says that new procedures will streamline and strengthen the planning proces.

Last month Tynwald approved the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No2) Order 2013, made by the Department of Infrastructure under the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, which came into effect on August 1.

Mr Cretney said: ‘The new order provides greater clarity on the procedures to be followed and the interpretation of functions of the department and others in government when handling planning applications and appeals.

‘Importantly, the provisions will help us deliver one of the objectives under Agenda for Change to “make sure town and country planning supports economic development”.

‘Furthermore, the provisions of the order will assist in formalising the roles of the department and the chief secretary’s office in respect to planning appeals, so as to provide transparency to that process beyond government. ‘This has been a root and branch assessment of an important piece of secondary legislation for planning and, coupled with the ongoing review of the primary legislation, will place the planning division in a strong position to meet the expectations and challenges posed by the customer and the marketplace in the foreseeable future.’

Mr Skelly added: ‘We expect the new provisions to have an immediate and positive impact upon the daily procedural operation of the planning process.

‘For example, we have now introduced amended requirements to ensure that the familiar coloured A4 planning application notices must now be displayed on the application land in a place which is clearly visible from the public highway, improving transparency and awareness.’

People who park at the airport for more than half an hour will have to pay from August 23.

The new car park order for the airport is in today’s Manx Independent.

After a public outcry last month, when the Department of Infrastructure announced plans to charge for all users of the car park, the department’s minister, David Cretney MHK, backtracked.

Until the change, airport users could park free for an hour at Ronaldsway.

The Manx Independent revealed that charging for all parking would swell the loss-making airport’s coffers by an estimated £40,000 a year.

After a consultation and a meeting with the TravelWatch pressure group, Mr Cretney reviewed the original proposal of charging for the first hour of car parking, and decided to retain a 30-minute free period.

He said: ‘I believe that having a 30-minute free period takes note of the public comments and responds in a positive way.

‘We will also re-instate a conveniently placed disc zone within the short stay car park, for genuine short term users, so that meeters and greeters or those with mobility issues can park near the terminal and collect their passengers and luggage, and depart within the 30-minute period.’

The changes mean there will be a period of up to 30 minutes’ free parking in both the short stay and long stay car parks

The charges for the short stay car parks will be: 0-30 minutes free; 31 mins to an hour £1; One hour to two hours £1.50; Two hours to four hours £2.50.

The long stay car park charges will be: 0 - 30 mins free; 31 mins to two hours £1; Two hours to four hours: £2.

There will be no change to the daily rates or subsequent day rates for short or long stay.

There will be no change for the parking for disabled visitors and passengers, and the current disabled parking nearest to the terminal (next to the hire cars) which is currently used for free up to one hour, will continue for disabled users free of charge.

A cow had to be put down on Tuesday after it was struck by a steam train.

The 3.58pm train from Port Erin to Douglas hit the animal on the line at Ballagawne, in Colby.

A Department of Community, Culture and Leisure spokesman said: ‘Despite doing an emergency stop, the train could not stop in time and the cow impacted with the engine’s buffer beam.

‘The farmer and a vet were immediately called to the scene, where sadly the cow had to be put down due to the nature of its injuries.’

The spokesman said the train ‘sustained minor damage to the buffer beam’ but was able to proceed after a 15-minute delay.

He added: ‘We can find no evidence of how the cow came to be on the track as the fencing is still intact.’

There were 91 passengers on board – none of whom were injured.