The council announced on Friday that preparatory works will begin next week to prepare for the main construction.

Construction on the City of Launceston’s next stage of the City Heart Project had an indicative time frame of starting work in March.

As sought by the mall’s shop owners, safety fences will create a 3 metre walkway around the perimeter to allow shoppers access throughout construction.

Seventeen trees and nine planter tubs will also be relocated to the council’s tree nursery during construction.

The mall’s roof is also being moved across to North Bank to be used in that park redevelopment.

"Retrofitting a public space is always a challenge, and we hope people will be patient during the construction,” City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said.

“We will be working hard to keep the space operating as efficiently as we can throughout the works program.”

The Baker Group will begin construction next month.