A MULTI-million pound project to shore up cliffs on the Tendring coastline is set to start this summer.

The £5 million project was unveiled last year and planing permission had been granted for the stretch of seafront along Holland-on Sea.

Phases one and two of the plan focus on the area under the Kings Cliff Hotel, between Hazelmere Road and Queensway.

The scheme, which was approved by Tendring Council’s planning committee will also include new drainage, sheet-piled walls and an easy-access ramp down the cliff.

Anglian Water has provided £3 million of funding for the project, with the rest coming from Tendring Council and cash left over from the £36 million new beach scheme.

Reptile-proof fencing was installed in March with the animals set to be relocated to nearby slopes before construction begins.

The tender process has also now been completed.

Construction is scheduled to begin in August and expected to be completed next year in the late spring.

Council leisure and tourism boss Mick Skeels said the cliff stabilisation project was about more than shoring up the slopes.

“Of course the main reason for carrying out this work is to stabilise the cliffs, which provide protection to homes and businesses right along this part of the seafront,” he said.

“However, it also gives us an opportunity to make more general improvements – for example, by making our new beaches even more accessible by making less steep paths.”

Members of the public who spot damage to the reptile fencing can report it to 01255 686962.