The Promenade scheme has got under way again after Covid forced works to be halted for a time.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer MHK told a press briefing last week that the aim was to push forward the completion date to Easter next year.

He suggested that the pandemic had offered an opportunity to work on the project in a different way.

Mr Harmer said the impact on Covid on the tourism season would allow some restrictions to be removed, enabling the Promenade to be made one-way or sections shut fully to allow the works to take place.

He said the call was to ’get it done’.

The target was now to have the much-delayed scheme completed by next Easter, bringing the end date forward from August 2021.

Mr Harmer said: ’We have taken the opportunity to relook at the Prom programme and the scheme.

’We now intend to alter the way we work and slightly change what we plan to do so we can finish before Easter next year.

’This will be a challenge.’

The Minister told reporters: ’We have a really good opportunity because in effect much of the promenade is in a sense closed.

’There will be further announcements coming forward. A lot of it will look remarkably as it’s planned to look. But what we have been doing is taking a hard look on the stages and how me manage the process. If I had said only a month ago if it may even be closed for a short period, the answer would have been no so we are looking at how deliver it.’

A spokesman for the Department of Infrastructure said: ’The Douglas Promenade Refurbishment Scheme team is in the process of finalising details of the revised programme with the contractor and more information will be available in due course.’