The huge scaffolding dominating a city centre building is set to stay for much longer than expected.
The shopping centre in Swansea 's Princess Way has been covered in the scaffolding since November and was only supposed to stay up for between six to eight weeks.
But contractors discovered that hundreds of large concrete tiles which clad the building were in danger of falling off onto shoppers below so the scaffolding has been up ever since.
It has now been revealed that it could remain in place until November, a whole year after it was constructed.
Gerry Garrard, a consultant for Vail Williams, which manages the shopping centre, confirmed that "extensive tests" are ongoing to make sure that the building is safe.
He said: "We are currently doing extensive tests and drawing up a works programme to make the repairs that are necessary to make the external structure safe.
"The tiles have been deemed to not be correctly fixed and we don't want anyone at risk of the tiles falling.
"We are looking to get it [the scaffolding] down by November."
Shops occupying units below say they have been forced to display "open as usual" signs on the metal scaffolding in a bid to maintain footfall.
Shortly after the scaffolding's arrival, Mexican restaurant Cocina branded it the "final horn" through its heart as it announced its closure and claimed the restaurant had been "hidden" as a result.
The businesses operating on the affected stretch of Princess Way all seem to have received different information regarding the work being done, with some told that it would be carried out this month while others have been told that it should be completed by September.
Kim Robinson, assistant manager at Zinco Lounge, said that they were initially told that the work would take "a couple of months".
She said: "Work was supposed to start in January but they keep putting it back.
"Our landlord told us that the framework of the tiles is faulty and that they'd just been stuck on in the middle of the tiles so they are taking them off one by one.
"We have seen a different since it's been up. January is a quiet period for businesses in general but we were a lot quieter than normal and in general over the last six months.
"It's been up for so long that it's just beyond."
The scaffolding has meant that fashion stores such as Slater Menswear and Zara have been unable to use their window displays to showcase their latest products.
Hannah Thomas, manager at Zara, said: "It is affecting us because we haven't got any windows as they can't be used.
"The rubbish outside is not good for our image as people keep chucking things behind the scaffolding. We've found a wheelchair there and bottles of wine."
Manager at Slater Menswear, Tom Clarke, added: "It's been a nightmare. The scaffolding went up in November and we weren't told, we just came in to open the door and it was there.
"At one point when work was being done on the Kingsway too, they only had a walkway that two people could walk down so it's affected all of us."
Emily Carter, manager at Coffee #1, claims that people walking along Princess Way think that the businesses are closed.
She said: "Our regulars are the only ones that are keeping us going. People think that we're closed.
"The work was only meant to take weeks and a year is a long time."
A number of the businesses said that they had been in contact with Swansea Council about ways to attract more footfall back to the street.
Rob Coles, manager at Tiger, said: "We have asked for signage near the Kingsway to try and direct people down here as we have seen a drop in footfall.
"It is frustrating because our busy period is between September and December so if it's staying up until November that will impact us massively."
