The controversial new sea wall in Douglas should be completed by the end of April, the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) has confirmed.

Being built to help protect the promenade from overtopping and debris, the concrete structure has not been universally welcomed.

Work is well underway on the scheme, and the DOI has now confirmed the wall should be completed by the end of next month.

It gave an update last week saying: ‘Work to construct the new sea defence wall has reached the area of Douglas War Memorial.

‘A scaffold tower has been built around the monument and is covered in protective netting. This will be in place until works are complete.

‘To maintain safety, there will be no public access to the memorial, which is within the fenced working area, whilst construction is underway.

‘Douglas City Council has temporarily removed all wreathes from the memorial for safekeeping. These will be returned once the temporary protective measures have been removed.’

As well as criticism over the aesthetics of the new flood defence, the project ran into further controversy after it was revealed it did not have the right planning permission in place.

Months after construction began, the scheme had to be retrospectively approved by the planning committee in January.

Acting chairman of the Isle of Man’s planning committee Peter Young said at the time he would support the application ‘with a heavy heart’ as ‘I don’t like the damned thing.’

Work on the 1.2m high sea wall began in the summer and when complete will run 500m from a point just south of the Douglas War Memorial on Harris Promenade to a point opposite the Empress Hotel on Central Promenade.

The £900,000 project was initially rejected by the planning committee back in 2019 but then given the go-ahead on appeal in April the following year.