Council to step in to fund £16k sea wall art

Douglas City Council is to step in and spend £16,000 from its reserves on public artwork for the promenade sea wall after the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) failed to include it in its budget.

The authority said the money would "protect" local artists whose work was already commissioned for the wall and bring "vibrancy" to the city.

The Department of Infrastructure said the cost of the scheme was "accidentally left out of its own budget".

Council leader Devon Watson said the sea defence wall was "an important piece of infrastructure" and that the artwork would "help transform it into an attractive public feature that reflects the character of our city."

Councillor Charlotte Traynor said: "It was unfortunate that there was an oversight in the budget, but it's been a real pleasure for the council to be able to step in and make sure that we are able to complete this really important project."

She said the funding was about more than finishing a wall.

"Not only are we trying to support local artists and ensure that their really good work is put out there rather than left behind, but we're also contributing to a really vibrant city," she said.

Following a public call for submissions, three local artists were commissioned to produce 15 designs celebrating Douglas and the Isle of Man's heritage, culture and coastal environment.

"The £16,000 is going towards the manufacturing and installation of the artworks, which DOI has calculated for us and unfortunately was just omitted from their original budget," Traynor said.

The DOI remains responsible for managing and maintaining the finished wall.

Traynor said the artwork project had "lots of benefits", from supporting local artists who had "already done this work and this is work that they deserve to have seen come to fruition" to bringing "a huge amount of vibrancy and culture to the city in an area that there isn't a huge amount of at the moment".

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