A spokesman for the city council said today it was hoped there would be a “launch” of the new High Street in early summer.

A meeting will be held at 6pm on Monday (February 15) in Lochee Housing Office, Sinclair Street, and traders and community groups are being invited to discuss the setting up of a group to drive this forward.

The spokesman said, “Representatives of the City Centre Action Group, the traders’ association which has done much to promote the city centre, will be in attendance to give advice based on their experience and achievements.”

The final phase of the local improvement work will get under way on Friday and involves the removal of the top road surface and relaying it and new speed reduction measures.

Sections of the High Street will be closed in a phased programme with the remaining parts reverting temporarily to two-way traffic.

Each stage will take 10 days to complete, with speed controls installed at Nicoll’s Lane, Bright Street/High Street, Burnside Street and at TSB/Lochee Leisure Centre.

Shoppers are being asked to use the car parks at Sinclair Street, Camperdown Street, St Mary’s Lane, Nicoll’s Lane and Stack Leisure Park.

Late last year the Tele reported that local traders believed the improvement works were behind a drastic drop in their pre-Christmas takings.

The six-month project had seen the closure of the shopping thoroughfare to northbound traffic while street lighting was upgraded and street furniture and cycle ranks installed.

Business owners complained that bollards and barriers were obstructing entrances to shops, parking spaces were limited and buses diverted to the bypass.

One shop boss said his takings were down by “at least 50%”, and another claimed he was losing about 50 customers a week.

The works are a key element of the council’s successful bid for £2 million in regeneration funding for Lochee from the Scottish Government.

The grant is conditional on the works being completed by the end of March.