Drivers are set to face disruption for several weeks as a car park will shut to allow works to be carried out over the summer.

Canterbury City Council says the Longport car park - near Waitrose and St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury city centre - will face closures during the work, which will last eight weeks.

As part of the Canterbury Connected project, Longport car park will see a significant reduction in the number of spaces available to motorists, before the 118 spaces will close altogether.

The car park will undergo resurfacing and relining the bays, planting trees and a hedge, and introducing more cycle parking and storage along with a new visitor information board.

The city council says the “understated” Longport car park requires “some TLC” to make it more appropriate as a neighbour to the historic St Augustine’s site - the first Christian monastery built after Augustine arrived in 597 to convert the pagan kingdoms of England.

The work will start on June 16 and take around eight weeks. Part of the car park will be closed initially before being fully shut from July 7.

It is just one of a handful of city centre sites due for an upgrade after council chiefs were successful in their bid for £22 million worth of funding as part of the government’s Levelling Up Fund programme.

Ongoing works around the Westgate Towers will continue for the rest of the year while a new plaza is created at the bottom of St Peter’s Street, with access only up to the security bollards opposite the former Barretts car dealership.

This means that deliveries into the high street will need to exit either via Guildhall Street, The Friars, Best Lane, St Margaret's Street or back through Rose Lane.

Castle Row car park remains shut while Pound Lane is still slightly reduced in size.

The one-way system at Westgate Towers remains in place as well, continuing to cause disruption during peak times.

A city council spokesperson said: “We apologise in advance for any disruption this work will cause but believe the end result of creating a better welcome in this important area of the city will be well worth it.”

Further works as part of the Canterbury Connected project include renovations to Canterbury Castle, upgrades to the Dane John Gardens, including a new cafe.