Work on the £3.6m project to revamp the Cornhill is to start next week with the first hoardings sealing off the paved area going up.

The work is due to take about nine months – and should be completed in time for the Cornhill to reopen and be the focus of this year’s Christmas celebrations in the town. The lights’ switch-on should be very special this year.

Although the cost has gone up, all the proposed features on the Cornhill will be installed – including a water feature that is expected to be especially popular during the summer.

A new artwork will be installed near the former Grimwades store in what is expected to become a popular picnic area with the opening of the new branch of Pret A Manger on the corner of the Cornhill.

A formal ceremony marking the start of the rebuilding work is expected to take place in early February after which the Cornhill is set to become a building site for most of 2018.