How Many Complaints Led to Change?

The decision to not have live bands playing into the night at the Grandstand this year was taken after ‘several’ complaints were made to Douglas Council.

An FoI request revealed that the DfE had not received any complaints, but that Douglas Council had received an ‘unspecified number’.

Last year’s return of TT saw the creation of the Fan Park in Noble’s Park, with H&B’s Trackside bar and the live music proving popular with locals and visitors alike.

However, ahead of this year’s event it was announced that there wouldn’t be any live music after 9pm.

The department’s response to the FoI said: ‘The Department leases Nobles Park from Douglas Borough Council, therefore the Department for Enterprise did not receive any complaints directly, however, the Department was advised by Douglas Borough Council that it had received an unspecified number of complaints from nearby residents in reference to the Fan Park in 2022. The decision not to put live bands on after 9pm for 2023 was taken after ongoing discussions with Douglas Borough Council as part of a broader set of measures to reduce the impact from the events on surrounding residents.

‘The Department will still be facilitating live entertainment, including bands throughout the TT period in the Fan Park including throughout the day and into the evening. Beyond 9pm, there will not be live bands in 2023, instead there will be lower volume music including live DJ sets.’

The DfE also pointed out that there is ‘significant night time entertainment beyond 9pm and the Department will continue to promote these activities and events in the run up to, and during the period’.

While the number of complaints was not made clear by the FoI, a spokesperson from Douglas Council told Gef that they didn’t have an exact number but that ‘several’ complaints had been made in written and verbal form.

The TT Fan Park will be open from 9am to 11pm daily, you can find out more about what’s on here.