Work to repair a 23-metre section of the sea wall in Castletown, damaged during January’s high tides and storms, will begin on Monday, April 14.
Because the sea wall supported the car park (by the old grammar school, known as Chapel Lane), a section of that collapsed and during the repair works, expected to last for nine weeks, a substantial area of the car park will be cordoned off.
The easiest way to access the site is from the harbour and a ramp will be constructed adjacent to the old lifeboat house.
A hole in the car park first appeared in February 2013, and repair work was carried out. In January, a new larger hole opened up and a section of the car park was cordoned off.
Following a storm and high tide a few weeks later, the sea defences were breached and there was further collapse of the sea wall and a second void appeared.
The cost of repair work will fall to the town’s rate payers, but this cost has been vastly reduced through close co-operation with the Department of Infrastructure, which is providing vehicles, man power and stone blocks to fill the void.
Commissioners’ chairman Kevin Weir thanked the department for ‘their prompt and extremely efficient remedial work to date, which not only minimised further impact on the sea wall, but which also greatly reduced the cost to our ratepayers – they are to be congratulated on their professionalism and expertise’.
He added: ‘It has halved the bill from what we were looking at. We are over the moon with the help they have given us. Also during the floods, they were out there at night. When we really needed help, they came up trumps.’
He also expressed his regrets to residents for any disruption caused, and also for the loss of parking spaces whilst the work is being carried out.