Minutes of strategic board meetings for the Promenade redevelopment scheme have been published.

And they provide an fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the challenges faced by those leading the multi-million project.

Minutes released so far only go up to the meeting on July 19 this year.

Businesses and residents are only now being consulted on a proposal that the end date of the scheme is pushed back six months from October 2020 to April 2021.

But as far back as January this year, Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer had expressed ’deep concern’ at the delivery of the project, stating there ’must not be any extension to the existing programme dates’. At a meeting in July, the project manager stated in his view, completion would not be possible until the end of March 2021, while contractor Auldyn Construction predicted a completion date of June 2021.

Director of highway services Jeff Robinson asked whether the 10 to 14 week delay on the scheme should be subject to a press release.

In Tynwald that month, Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said the project was believed to be nine-10 weeks behind schedule.

Mr Robinson said he had received ’political instruction to design for 5G’ with proposals for 12m-high columns placed at 250m intervals along the entire length of the seaward side of the Promenade.

It was noted a planning application would likely be required in what is a conservation area but that the columns had already been delivered.

In matters arising from a meeting in April, director of public transport Ian Longworth reported continuing issues with buses losing wing mirrors on ’numerous occasions’ due to the placement of Heras fencing, particularly near the Spar in the Villa Marina Colonnade.

There was extensive discussion about the higher than expected noise levels recorded on the new horse tram tracks. It was decided that the cheapest solution was to use the MER’s diesel-powered tram to add ballast in order to smooth and polish the rail.

It was also noted that a signalling engineer was ’urgently required’ to address problems reported by Mr Longworth caused by the single track and passing loop arrangement of the new horse tram line.

At a meeting in April, there were discussions about whether the contractors should work under traffic lights but this was ruled out as it would lead to a ’loss of public credibility’.

Another interesting suggestion was raised at the strategic board meeting in September last year, with the Minister stating it was his intention that the MER should be extended in central Ramsey. This came up during discussions about linking the MER and horse tram tracks at Derby Castle.

The minutes note: ’Nick Black, however, stated that the budget for the proposed link would come from the Ramsey interchange scheme, with the Minister having identified these works, as well as the extension of the MER in central Ramsey, as his intentions.’

The first of the strategic board meeting minutes date to July 2017, when it was confirmed that a budget had been fixed at £18,825,000 for construction to complete the scheme.

The minutes note that the Infrastructure Minister’s message was to aim for the work to be completed well below budget but his department’s chief executive Nick Black was ’emphatic that no cuts be made if they were likely to compromise either quality or safety’.

Minutes of the most recent strategic board meeting, held in the boardroom at the Sea Terminal on September 13, are yet to be published on the myProm website.