Colchester's St Nicholas Square works won't finish until March

The £1.6million project to rejuvenate St Nicholas' Square had been due to finish before the end of the year, but a three-month delay because of complications with electricity and water mains means it will not be completed until March.

Work will stop next Friday and will not resume until January, although some of the site’s surrounding fencing – which has been blamed for hitting footfall - will remain in place.

Unsightly - the fencing put up outside around St Nicholas' Square has made it harder to see businesses in the area (Image: Halle Groves, Newsquest) It is the second delay faced by builders, whose work was hampered in July by the discovery of human remains on the site.

Colchester Council leader David King admitted news of the delay was disappointing but said the pause would minimise disruption during the Christmas period.

He said: “It’s disappointing that St Nicholas' Square will not be ready by this Christmas, but our priority is to ensure that the project is completed to the highest standard, be respectful of what we might find, and to support and minimise impact on local businesses.

“This pause allows us to achieve that while minimising disruption during this festive time.

“The remaining tasks to be carried out in the new year are far less disruptive.”

Some areas will remain fenced off for safety reasons, which is frustrating news for Roots and Grooves co-owners Matt Brown and Baz Briggs, whose shop is obscured by the 7ft fencing.

He said: "They are doing their best, which is great, but the overrun on this project is ridiculous at the moment.

"I just want the thing done as quickly as possible.

"We all knew it was going to happen but I thought it was going to be six months – it will be 18 months by the end of it.

"I just really hope they can open the square up in some way, shape or form just to boost the footfall.

"It would be like a glimmer of what’s coming – that’s the way I look at it."

Concerned - Baz Briggs, left, who co-owns Roots and Grooves with Matt Brown, said the delays could affect footfall during the business shopping period of the year (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) Mr King said the completion of the building work will allow visitors to enjoy the "remarkable changes" in the city centre.

He said: “Both St Nicholas' Square and the Digital Forum, currently under construction, are set to open next year.

"This year marks the beginning of transformative regeneration in our city centre, and next year, residents, businesses and visitors will start to enjoy the remarkable changes which are happening.”