A NEW water play area is set to be built in a town park at a cost of more than £300,000.

Wychavon District Council is looking to carry out much-needed improvements to the water play area at Abbey Park in Pershore and will be splashing out another £290,000 to bring the facilities up to scratch.

The work is expected to be finished in less than a year’s time – taking place from November to April -with the improved site back open to the public in time for the May Bank Holiday.

The council said it wants to replace the ageing equipment before any mechanical failures result in long delays and a “small play area with very little useable equipment.”

Councillors already agreed at the end of 2020 to set aside £40,000 to replace the surface at the water play area in Pershore’s Abbey Park but the council is now planning to go bigger with a complete overhaul.

The council’s executive board will be meeting in Pershore on June 21 and is expected to green-light adding £290,000 to the budget to upgrade the 15-year-old facilities – pushing the total cost, for the moment, to £330,000.

The new water play area will be paid for using money that has been given to the council by developers as part of agreements for planning permission and housebuilding across the Wychavon district.

The tired and dated water play area in Pershore currently costs between £10,000 and £15,000 a year to maintain with most of the costlier fixes coming as the council prepares to re-open the popular family-friendly attraction every May.

The revamp in Abbey Park was included alongside council plans to refurbish the water play area at Evesham’s Abbey Park, which has already been completed, and Droitwich Lido, which is expected to start towards the end of next year.

The new water play area in Evesham’s Abbey Park recently opened after £330,000 improvements which include hydro blast jets, a water spider, a spray cannon, an archway with jets and a water curtain along with tipper buckets, an accessible wavy bridge, and a new seating area.

The executive board meets from 6pm at the Civic Centre in Pershore on June 21.