Four months of repair work is set to begin after a schoolboy was nearly crushed by a wall following a landslip in a Norfolk coastal town.

The destruction caused by the landslip left half of a Victorian set of steps shut in Gorleston 12 years ago after it narrowly missed a 12-year-old boy in April 2012.

More than a decade later, the site is finally being restored to reopen White Lion Steps to the public.

White Lion Steps, Cliff Hill, Upper Cliff Road and Beach Road will be closed from May 20 to September 6 for an estimated 16 weeks of restoration work costing £600,000.

The state of the White Lion steps has long been a source of frustration for locals.

Eastern Daily Press: The White Lion Steps in Gorleston in the days after the landslip in April 2012The White Lion Steps in Gorleston in the days after the landslip in April 2012 (Image: Nick Butcher)

Norfolk County Council, as owner of the steps, confirmed in September 2015 it would be backing away from recovering costs to pay for repairs from a developer working nearby, as the process was becoming too expensive.

The work was complex because of land ownership issues and the practices of Victorian workmen building without foundations.

Eastern Daily Press: The White Lion steps after initial work was done to make them safe following a landslip in 2012The White Lion steps after initial work was done to make them safe following a landslip in 2012 (Image: Nick Butcher)

Reinstating both sides would mean updating them to modern standards and would require the expertise of bridge builders familiar with shoring up structures.

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The restoration project which has been confirmed will involve rebuilding the collapsed retaining wall, relocating a water main and reopening the steps to the public.

Eastern Daily Press: A schoolboy was nearly crushed when a wall collapsed at the White Lion steps in 2012A schoolboy was nearly crushed when a wall collapsed at the White Lion steps in 2012 (Image: James Bass)

Several diversion routes will be in place during associated road closures, with people living nearby granted access through the works.

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Traffic in Beach Road, at the bottom of the steps, will be diverted via Pier Walk, Quay Road, and Pier Gardens.

Drivers in Cliff Hill and Upper Cliff Road, at the top of the steps, will be diverted via Avondale Road, Lowestoft Road, Lower Cliff Road and Cliff Hill.

A pedestrian diversion near White Lion Steps will be via Beach Road, Pier Gardens, Lower Esplanade and the steps leading up to Cliff Hill.