ABERYSTWYTH’S new £1,200,000 bandstand is “projected” to be completed on Friday, 4 March, the council has said - nearly eight months after the original planned opening date.

Initially due to be opened in August last year to take advantage of the summer season, a combination of bad weather and “contractor difficulties” has seen the date continually pushed back.

Storm Imogen, which battered the Aberystwyth seafront earlier this month, saw materials and supplies for the building left strewn across the promenade.

Despite the council saying that the storm would not delay the bandstand’s completion, an estimate of a February finish to the work given to the Cambrian News last month has now been revised to a more definite Friday, 4 March.

The project has been beset by problems, leading to several missed deadlines.

It was reported in the Cambrian News in January that, just days after Haverfordwest contractors WB Griffiths & Sons Ltd had hoped to finish construction, a window at the rear of the new bandstand became open and water could be seen rushing in during Storm Frank.

Ceredigion council last month confirmed construction had not been completed and predicted the structure would be finished in February, after missing previous deadlines in August, October and December.

A county council spokesperson said the delays to the bandstand were due to a mixture of bad weather and “contractor difficulties”.

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online on Wednesday