Accrington’s oldest park has been given the green light for a new children’s play area worth £115,000.
It is hoped new facilities at Milnshaw Park will give a boost to children and families in the area.
Plans for the play area include equipment such as a zip line - a cable or rope to slide down, as well as the usual swings and play apparatus.
Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum (HGSF) applied to Hyndburn council to lease an area of the park to create the play area, which the council would maintain.
The council approved the proposal at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, leaving the project in need of a further £50,000 for it to go ahead. Milnshaw ward councillor and council deputy leader Paul Cox, said the proposal is “fantastic”.
He said: “The park has never had a penny spent on play equipment in 20 years meaning a whole generation has missed out on a play area.”
The project has already received some of the money from a planning contribution from developers, and some from Church and Milnshaw Area Council. The remaining £50,000 would come from a Biffa Award, a multi-million pound pot funding community projects.
The idea is to create two separate areas for younger and older children.
The project follows a new multi-games area that has just opened at the park, costing around £100,000, and featuring football, basketball, rounders, cricket and abseiling facilities.
Coun Cox said: “We applied for funding for the multi-use games area in 2011 and that has just been completed, after being slow to get started. Hopefully we’ll keep the momentum going now and the new play area could be there in 12 months if all the funding is in place.”
Jean Sommerville, vice chairperson and secretary of the nearby Laneside Residents’ Association, said: “Milnshaw Park needs the money. The more funding they can get, the better.”
Milnshaw Park was opened by Mayor Alderman J E Lightfoot on June 17, 1880 and originally had an open-air swimming pool.
