Work begins this month to transform the retail-led, mixed-use scheme in the Northgate area of the city, which has been 30 years in the making.

Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Growth, said: “The Northgate project has been in development for many years, with several different versions being brought forward in this time. Now that project is about to get underway.”

Also starting this month is the work to build a new 1km drainage tunnel for the city centre.

Although over 85 per cent of the drain will be installed via tunnelling to minimise disruption above ground, the project will have a substantial impact on traffic using the inner ring road.

Councillor Beacham added: “This tunnel is a huge civil engineering project for Chester.

“It will enhance our infrastructure and unlock opportunities for future development like city centre housing, which in turn will help support businesses on our high street.”

He said: “The drainage tunnel will take one year to construct and will ensure Chester has far greater capacity for dealing with surface water.

“It will significantly reduce the risk of flooding or drain bursts and will help limit raw sewage discharges into the River Dee as a result of the current system reaching capacity.”