Her Worship the Mayor of Douglas, Councillor Debbie Pitts JP, has called for a ‘shared endeavour’ approach – the Council investing in partnership with government and the private sector - to secure the capital’s ‘long-term economic resilience’ and optimise the town’s quality of life.

Her Worship was speaking at this year’s Mayor’s business lunch, where guests heard her praise the number of recently opened new businesses in the town centre for recognising Douglas ‘as a town of opportunity’. She said the Council welcomed the prospect of new hotel and leisure developments, in particular ‘ambitious’ plans for the former Lord Street bus station site, adding: ‘All of this is a multi-million-pound vote of confidence in Douglas.’

The Mayor with Environment and Regeneration director Dana Enyon and Sarah Jarvis (Sure)

She went on to provide a snapshot of the Council’s investment in Douglas, referring to its £800,000 commitment for a new bespoke lighting scheme for the soon-to-be upgraded Douglas promenade and, ahead of that project, a £104,000 investment in new public toilets for Queen’s Promenade.

Council Leader Councillor David Christian MBE JP and Rod Lingard, (Thomas Miller Investment)

In Noble’s Park more than £380,000 would be funding the installation of a new interactive waterplay attraction and a replacement skatepark, while Summerhill Glen was set to benefit from a £55,000 upgrade to its infrastructure and range of features.

Gwen and Roger Watterson (Copy Shop) and Bill Dale (Beach Buddies)

She added that it was her ‘fervent hope’ that the sizeable financial commitment the Council was making to Douglas would encourage even more in the private sector to invest in the town centre - as opposed to outlying sites.

 Jan Wozniak (Freedom Travel) and Winston Taylor (Simcocks Advocates)

Her Worship urged government and the private sector to join with the Council and work together ‘to unlock our town’s potential’ and, in closing, said: ‘And let’s invest not just in infrastructure and amenities, but in our people and our communities for the future prosperity of our town - our capital - for generations to come.

Peter Duke (Duke Marketing) and Justin McMullin (Event Lighting Services)