Building work for a controversial sea wall will continue into 2023 due to construction delays.
Officially known as the West Kirby Flood Alleviation Scheme, the project aims to protect houses and businesses in West Kirby during storms.
An update from Wirral Council said they hope to complete “piling works,” the installation of huge 18-metre long metal poles, by the end of October.
READ MORE: 'Dreadful' tip being cleared after business complains of rats and flytipping
Work was supposed to be completed by November but a Wirral Council update said: “The current advice from the contractors is that the end date for the completion of the whole scheme could now be early 2023, not November as previously forecast.”
A Wirral Council statement earlier this year said “the need for the work to be completed before winter 2022 in order to minimise the impact on wildlife.”
The update stated that there will be an officer “on site to ensure that none of the works or activities are causing significant disturbance to bird populations” and that the situation is currently being monitored.
Original costs were expected to be around £5.5 million but this rose by £4 million to nearly £10 million, though the bulk of the costs don’t come from Wirral Council.
The reason for the scheme is that it could save more than 20 lives and protect more than 70 properties from flooding.
However many residents complained the new sea wall would harm the promenade with one petition getting more than 1,000 signatures.
The construction has also caused issues for businesses with one bistro Tanskeys, which sits opposite the construction, saying that it had seen an 80% drop in customers. Hannah Cleator, the manager at Tanskeys, said she may have to close.
In the September update, Wirral Council said: “There have been rumours locally around West Kirby that have speculated about whether there were problems or issues with the works because activity along sections of the wall seemed to have stalled.
“This was largely due to the load testing process, which is an essential part of the project. While it is true it has taken a little longer than expected to complete and review the load test results, the piling works themselves have gone well.
“Along with the old concrete break-out works, these were the elements of the programme most disruptive to residents and visitors and they remain on schedule to be completed by October as planned.”
Construction will also take place on this weekend after it was paused for one day due to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19.
Contractors for the wall will now be working on September 24 as a “one-off catch up” according to a Wirral Council statement on Twitter. South Parade, the road that runs along the promenade will be closed on this date.
After the metal piles are installed, work will begin to start building back the promenade and installing lighting.
READ NEXT: Hundreds more homes and new public space could be coming to Wirral's green belt
Map shows devastating truth of sewage grot spots in Merseyside
Woman flies to Turkey after UK dentist quotes £19k for treatment
Dentist practices 'have to turn away NHS patients' due to low funding
