Consultation continues over plans to push back the scheduled completion date for the Promenade project by six months.

Businesses along the prom have been told that the scheme has a proposed new end date of April 2021.

It had originally been expected to take two years and be completed in October 2020.

New plans for the phasing of the works are to be published from November 18 following consultation with residents and businesses.

The plight of struggling businesses was raised in Tynwald this month as the court voted to receive a damning scrutiny committee report on the impact of the £21m project.

Committee chairman Clare Barber MHK spoke of the distress felt by some who felt their businesses wouldn’t survive to see the scheme completed.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said he was ’first to admit’ that there have been ’significant problems’. ’We haven’t always got it right,’ he said.

Mr Harmer said he was ’deeply sorry’ that some businesses have had real hardship.

He said delays to the scheme, already 10 weeks behing schedule, has been caused by contractors coming across uncharted pipes and cables, including an ’extremely fragile’ gas main.

Two way traffic and services have had to be maintained and contractors had to operate in restricted hours.

MHKs including Rob Callister (Onchan) raised concerns about the scheduling of works outside hotels in the main tourist season.

Mr Harmer said there was provisional agreement to get the landward side of Loch Promenade done this winter and have it complete by TT2020.

He said revised scheduling of works to take into account the problems enountered and the needs of businesses would mean a later end date.

Some 280m of highway has been constructed on the seaward side of Queen’s Promenade.

In a statement, the Department of Infrastructure said it has been working with the contractor on revised phasing plans, showing a finish date of April 2021.

A spokesman said: ’The proposal takes into account delays encountered so far, and adapting the programme to cope with these issues.

’Reflecting these problems and accommodating the needs of businesses and residents will mean a later end date.’

Consultation with residents and businesses was launched at a well-attended event at the Palace Hotel where the DoI project team was on hand to answer questions.

Another session was held yesterday (Monday) at the Regency Hotel, with a third taking place on Wednesday November 6 at the Claremont from 3pm-5pm.

More than 130 feedback forms have already been received by the project team.