Motorists face a year of gridlock misery when a divisive regeneration project begins in two days.

Roads surrounding the Westgate Towers will be shut off at various points for 12 months from Tuesday as part of a £1.5 million scheme to transform the area.

Pavements and street surfaces will be ripped up and replaced to create a continental-style square closed to traffic a handful of times a year for events such as the Medieval Pageant and the Christmas lights parade.

But the closures needed to deliver the scheme have sparked fears the city’s already congested roads will be further clogged up.

At the same time, the road through Fordwich – used as a rat-run to avoid the city centre by thousands of drivers a day – is shut until the end of June while repairs are carried out on the Town Mayor’s house.

It has exacerbated concerns that the centre of Canterbury will be gridlocked for months in scenes likened to those experienced when the Westgate Towers were shut to traffic during a controversial trial in 2012.

The experimental layout was axed by Kent County Council (KCC) after only 12 months following a huge backlash by motorists caught up in the resulting gridlock.

But Canterbury City Council (CCC) says its upcoming regeneration project is “desperately needed” and will only cause “some inconvenience” - a claim locals say is drastically understating the impact of the closures.

Sedat Ozdogan, who owns Westgate Dry Cleaners, previously branded the scheme a “stupid project”.

“It is going to be impossible to get into this area,” said the 66-year-old.

“There is already heavy traffic coming from Broad Oak and Sturry – and a year is a long time.

“When they closed Westgate Towers before I was watching drivers coming out of their cars and playing football in the road as it was at a standstill.

“Now they will be closed again.

“More shops will shut and it is going to destroy businesses.

“The city council should sit down and speak to businesses around here, which will be affected heavily.

“I have been in the business for 50 years – I have more business experience than some of the councillors’ ages.

“People who design this s*** have no idea how to run a business. It is not helping us.”

Work is set to begin on Tuesday and will be completed in three phases.

The first is estimated to last five months and will see St Peter’s Place closed - save for access to homes - between the ring-road at St Peter’s roundabout and the Towers.

CCC says this is so work can be carried out to the roads and pavements between Tower Way and St Dunstan’s Street on the Guildhall side of the road.

Traffic travelling the other way, through the Towers, will be unaffected.

The closure will be reversed during the second phase of the project, with Wincheap-bound vehicles unable to travel under the gateway and along St Peter’s Place, towards the ring-road.

This will allow work to take place on the opposite side of the road, outside the former Barrett’s showroom.

During this phase, traffic heading towards St Dunstan’s Street will be allowed to drive around the side of the Towers.

Phase three of the project will see St Peter’s Place resurfaced between the ring-road roundabout and Tower Way, with the road shut overnight.

The final two phases are expected to last about seven months.

CCC concedes the work near the Westgate Towers will “lead to some disruption in the area” but says it should not be seen as a ploy to bring back the one-way system introduced in 2012.

Carloin Marlow, who is leading the project as the council’s head of digital, data and improvement, said: “This desperately-needed scheme is a complicated one and will be carried out in a very busy area of the city.

“It will cause some inconvenience for which we apologise in advance, but we hope it really will be worth it.

“The Westgate Towers, and the roads through it and around it, have long been controversial but I can guarantee this is not a cunning plan to bring back the hated one-way system that caused a stink some years ago.

“We think the whole project will take 12 months to complete but as the work progresses, we will try our level best to find ways to speed up the programme.”

The authority says the work being carried out is a “relatively slow process” made more difficult by its proximity to what is an ancient scheduled monument.

“There are also lots of utility infrastructure diversions to carry out and the need to maintain traffic in one direction extends the programme,” a spokesperson said.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance around the Westgate Towers with historic materials so it will take time.”

Matej Dorotovic, a sales and events executive at the nearby Westgate One student development, is not relishing delays on the roads but believes the disruption will be worth it.

“I think it will cause problems, especially during April and the summer when there will be many tourists in the city,” the 24-year-old said

“This is the busiest part and there are problems with traffic jams, so it will be chaotic.

“The idea is great as there will be more scenery and it will look more historic. For tourists, the iconic Westgate Towers will be prettier to see.

“If it will enhance the spirit of this quarter and the area, I think it is worth it.”

Throughout the work, traffic will be diverted via St Dunstan’s Street, London Road and Rheims Way.

Money for the project has come from £19.9 million in government funding secured by CCC to pay for schemes to enhance the city’s standing as a World Heritage Site.

Other developments included in the Levelling-Up programme include a similar scheme next to St George’s Clocktower and the restoration of Canterbury Castle.