DOUGLAS East MHK Brenda Cannell told Tynwald she had not sat on the town’s regeneration committee for more than a year because she felt it was just a ‘talking shop’.
Her comments came as she questioned Infrastructure Minister David Cretney MHK about the costs of improvements made so far.
Phil Braidwood MLC asked the minister to name the members of the Douglas Regeneration Committee.
Mr Cretney replied that he chaired the committee and that the two Douglas East MHKs – Mrs Cannell and Chris Robertshaw – were among the political members.
Mrs Cannell said: ‘I have not attended a meeting for over a year because I believe that it is far too big an organisation and has resulted in just being a talking shop. Does he not accept that?’
The minister replied: ‘It is not a talking shop. We have made the first significant development for many, many years in relation to the long overdue regeneration of Douglas town centre.
‘It has been something that has been commented on endlessly over the years, in terms of the principal street looking so sad and tired and run down. I believe it was entirely right we did the first phase on Upper Nelson Street so we could learn any issues before we move on to the main centre of the town because inevitably such work is going to cause disruption in Strand Street, Castle Street and Duke Street and we need to minimise that.’
Mr Cretney said the recent improvements in Upper Nelson Street had been very well received. He said the overall construction costs, including street lighting, was £290,000, of which £274,979 had been charged to the government’s Town and Village Regeneration Fund.