TT organisers say they raised ‘clear concerns’ with Douglas City Council over the impact of changes to parking arrangements for Isle of Man TT 2024.

The Department of Enterprise has confirmed that the amount of space available for parking in Noble’s Park has been cut by half this year - and even with extra spaces made available at St George’s, the total capacity has been reduced by 1,000 square feet.

New-look parking arrangements for this year’s TT have been heavily criticised by race fans, and particularly those with mobility issues.

In recent years, the main car park was located in Noble’s Park, between the Paddock and St Ninian’s, and latterly accessed via St Ninian’s Court.

But this year, spectator parking has moved to St George’s. It is a significantly smaller site, which is accessed from Dukes Avenue, the road which serves police headquarters.

Only motorcycles and permit holders including blue disability badge holders are allowed to park in Noble’s Park.

Douglas City Council, which leases the Noble’s Park site to the DfE for the TT, says it wants to protect parkland for other uses during the rest of the year - and believes most people who watch the action at the Grandstand will make their way there by foot.

It said access via St Ninian’s Court could not continue as the sheer volume of traffic was causing multiple issues for residents there.

In a statement, the DfE said: ‘There have been a number of changes to the parking provisions that have impacted fans with cars wishing to access the Grandstand, Paddock and Fan Park areas.

‘Although wet weather has also played a part, a reduction in the overall space available, as well as a prohibition on public car parking on Noble’s Park has required alternative arrangements for the general public.

‘These changes are the result of decisions taken by Douglas City Council, who ultimately are the land owners and provide the licence to use Noble’s Park.’

The DfE spokesperson said the amount of space available to use for parking in Noble’s Park has been reduced from 11,000 sq ft to 5,500 sq ft this year.

To offset this, the department was able to increase the space available in St George’s, a site owned by the Department for Education, Sport and Culture.

This was with the permission of St George’s Football Club who lease the site, and increased public parking there from 2,500 sq ft to 7,000 sq ft. But that still leaves a 1,000 sq ft overall reduction in the space available for parking. 

The spokesperson said: ‘In terms of disabled spaces, although there is an overall reduction in parking space available, there has been an increase in the number of spaces available for Blue Badge holders as there are spaces allocated on the near side of Noble’s Park in addition to space being available in St George’s Park.

‘As well as the reduction and changes in available space, the poor weather conditions significantly impacted the ground conditions particularly in St George’s as well as the RV Park which have further exacerbated the pressures on parking availability due to number of closures.

‘Some of the permit parking and motorcycle parking space in Noble’s Park also had to be utilised by RVs due to ground conditions.’

She said the Isle of Man Constabulary and ‘all necessary parties’ were involved throughout the planning process, and contingency plans were drawn up should congestion cause access issues, to ensure emergency services can continue to respond rapidly where required. 

‘As of today, there have not been specific concerns over this area since the event begun,’ she said. 

She added: ‘The department did raise clear concerns with Douglas City Council in the run up to the event surrounding their decision and the potential impact this could have on the adjacent residential streets, and emergency services.

‘Whilst fully appreciative of their permission to lease the overall site for the event, the department is keen to revisit some of these decisions post event, armed with feedback from various stakeholders including the nearby residents.  

‘Ultimately, for a festival now of this size and importance, the department would ideally like to see maximisation of all the available space to support accessibility for visiting fans and residents, whilst also minimising the impact on surrounding residential areas. 

‘The department recognises the huge contribution many residents in this area make, as well as around the course in allowing the events to be delivered, and is committed to trying to minimise any impact where possible. 

‘For 2024, the TT production team has responded to a significant set of challenges in opening and delivering this year’s event, with thousands of visitors and residents enjoying the wide range of activities across the whole site.

‘The team is committed to working with Douglas City Council going forward to build on the continued growth of the event, and to maximise space for the benefit of all. All feedback is being taken on board and will be reviewed as part of the post event debrief processes.’