Work on reconstructing Market Hill in Douglas will start next week - but pedestrianisation plans have been ditched.

And highway chiefs insist it won’t lead to more Promenades disruption.

The Department of Infrastructure will begin the final phase of the Lower Douglas regeneration scheme in Lord Street and Market Hill next Monday (September 2).

Market Hill will be fully reconstructed and the Lord Street and Victoria Street pedestrian crossings will also be modernised as part of the project.

It will mean that from next week until February, a section of Lord Street from Bath Place cannon roundabout to Ridgeway Street will temporarily become one-way in an outbound direction. Inbound traffic will be diverted on to North Quay at Ridgeway Street and motorists are advised to expect some delays.

The project is being carried out at the same time as Douglas Promenade, but highway bosses do not expect the one-way system on Lord Street to cause any additional disruption to traffic flows on the Promenade. They have apologised for any inconvenience.

The scheme links the Gaiety Theatre area with the bars and restaurants of the Douglas marina through the island’s main shopping and retail zone. It will support the significant investments made by private businesses in the Douglas marina area and the planned development of a new hotel on Lord Street.

Market Hill itself will not be pedestrianised following consultation with the local businesses, but the area will be made pedestrian-friendly.

Footways on both sides of Market Hill, and the footway on Chapel Row, will be widened. The area of James Street behind Market Hall will become pedestrianised with circular granite seating around a tree, cycle stands and water bottle filling station.

A section of Lord Street will be reconstructed with a raised table-top ramp to reduce vehicle speed and improve safety.

The project will take around seven months and pedestrian access will be maintained to all shops and businesses throughout.

As part of the scheme, cycle stands and a free-standing water bottle filling station will be installed outside the Market Hall on the pedestrianised area in James Street.

There will be improved street lighting on Market Hill, Chapel Row and James Street, and dropped kerbs and tactile paving at pedestrian crossing points at Chapel Row and Lord Street.