Braddan Parish Commissioners have admitted they ‘don’t know what’s going to happen’ with the access to its new £10m leisure centre.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued a 28-day notice to the commissioners that restricts vehicle access to the Roundhouse last month.

The order came into effect yesterday (Monday), however no signage or enforcement is in place as of yet.

Nevertheless, the DHSC is asking the public not to drive on the private hospital road to access the Roundhouse, but ‘instead use pedestrian access’.

A comment from the Department said ‘there will be no physical barriers in place, but relevant signage will be installed in the coming days and we may monitor access.’

It added: ‘Vehicular access to the site is only permitted for contractors and Braddan Commissioners staff. If access is being abused we may take further action.’

Government sent to an email to the clerk of Braddan Commissioners, Colin Whiteway, late on Saturday night confirming that its position on the access to the Roundhouse via the hospital grounds remains unchanged following a Council of Ministers meeting.

It added that the DHSC has instructed that relevant signage, monitoring and enforcement is in place.

The Roundhouse facility in Braddan, which includes a cafe, playground, sports hall, nursery and health facilities, is £3.4 million over budget and was originally meant to be open and completed in August 2023.

Work on the scheme started in June 2021 and parts of the facility are still being constructed and others opened just weeks ago.

Braddan Commissioners originally planned to build a new access road to the facility while the centre was being built.

However, that scheme was eventually ditched and during the planning phase of the project, Braddan Commissioners provided a copy of a letter to the Planning Committee from the then Department of Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle in August 2016 granting customers access to the facility via the hospital grounds.

Mr Quayle said in the letter that the ‘department (DHSC) fully supports this proposal without reservation’. The commissioners still believe this is enough to allow access through the hospital grounds.

On December 19 last year, the local authority said it was ‘shocked’ by a ‘last minute decision’ by the DHSC’s decision to refuse vehicle access to the facility.

Commissioners say they then entered into correspondence with the department about placing new signs along the route as part of an informal agreement but the department was not satisfied that sufficient measures have been put in place to address the risks identified by Manx Care.

Meanwhile the Captain of the Parish has called a requisition which will take place on Monday, March 11 at 7pm, at the Roundhouse. It comes after residents contacted Thomas Caley regarding concerns of the recently announced 36.6% rates increase, the centre and its future funding.