WITH only two months left to go, work to transform a play area in Malvern are continuing. 

Malvern Hills District Council has invested £500,000 to revamp the play area in Priory Park.

Beginning in November, work is set to continue until March 2022.

As the works resume for the new year, the whole area has been resurfaced and council staff are working to prepare the ground ahead of the new activity equipment's installation.

As a result of the work, footpaths around the play area are closed to pedestrians until the work is finished.

The project has been a long time in the making, with several years of discussions into updating it.

A consultation as far back as 2016 revealed the need for a more modern and more inspiring play area was needed.

When completed, the play area will include natural boulders, hobbit holes, a hollow tree trunk, rope bridge, basket swing and a giant dragonfly.

The council is working with Avery Landscapes Ltd for the project, which will include sustainable timber, planting and materials to give the park a more rustic feel.

It also said care has been taken to ensure no damage will occur to the existing tree roots in that side of the park.

The play area replacement is part of the wider improvement plan for Priory Park which includes refurbishment to the shelters, desilting the upper pond and more.

The proposed revamp has been in the works for a number of years, with plans being published in 2016 and 2019.

In 2016 more than 440 people responded to a public consultation on the future of the play area with a third rating it as poor to very poor and two thirds branding it too small.

Elsewhere in Priory Park, councillors will discuss plans for a £200,000 draining and cleaning of the lower pond.

At the January 18 executive committee meeting, councillors will discuss the work, which reports say has been needed for a number of years.