Work will begin early next year on a project to raise the sea wall on Douglas seafront.

The new wall will replace the existing railings along a 500m stretch of the Promenade from a point just south of the Douglas War Memorial on Harris Promenade to a point opposite the Empress Hotel on Central Promenade.

The scheme was originally estimated to cost £500,000 back in 2018 but the price tag is now expected to be £900,000.

Following a formal tender process and Treasury approval, the Department of Infrastructure has appointed Island Drainage and Groundwork Ltd as principal contractor for the scheme.

Work to remove the existing railings and start construction of the new wall will begin in the latter part of January with the contractors expected the project to be completed by the end of September 2024,

However, this time frame may be affected by the very wintery weather conditions that it is being built to counter.

Public access past the work site will be maintained along the Promenade walkway. The primary purpose of the wall is to provide a defence against wave overtopping impacting the highway, tram track and footways.

It is intended that in the future this wall will form part of a wider response to climatic change and predicted sea level rises.

Planning permission for the new wall was granted in May 2020.

The wall will be constructed from cast in-situ reinforced concrete with decorative surfaces that mirror the features on the existing concrete pillars. It will be built 1.2m (3ft 11ins) high which will allow people to continue to enjoy views out to sea from the Promenade.

The wall will be constructed to allow a for a future increase in the height of by up to 0.6m should it be necessary.

It will feature a series of artwork panels, with the DoI, with the support of the Arts Council, commissioning a number of island-based artists to provide designs.

Work in the vicinity of the War Memorial will be timed to avoid impact on events to mark the Cenotaph’s centenary in May.

Existing access points to the beach will be maintained but with provision to barrier them in storm conditions

Planning approval has also been granted to replace a further section of railings between the Sea Terminal and the TT Café with a new sea wall. The DoI will shortly go out to tender for this work,