Final funding vote for Lower Leas park plans

£750K PROJECT COULD BE FINISHED NEXT SUMMER

- By DANIEL ESSON

A MASSIVE £750,000 refurbishment of one of Kent's largest free adventure play areas has taken a stride forward.

The children's play areas in Folkestone's Lower Leas Coastal Park were considered to be "of exceptional quality" when installed back in 2000, and have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, according to a recent council report.

However, the report states: "Due to the coastal environment, extensive tree cover and the sand safety surfacing wearing the timbers, the equipment, now 24 years old, is beyond economical maintenance and repair."

The play area consists of seven timber towers, each about 8m tall, and formerly all connected by bridges, rope, nets and tunnels.