PLANS for nearly a £235,000 revamp of a Hampshire park have been unveiled.

The proposal for the first phase of a scheme aimed at revamping Itchen Valley Country Park has been given the go-ahead.

It comes after councillors in Eastleigh agreed that the facilities at the park are old needed to keep up with other country parks in the area.

The estimate cost for the first phase of the project is £235,276. The funding will come from Eastleigh council borrowing - recouped from future income.

The existing café will be relocated and refitted, a new indoor play area created in the old café seating area, and the current play trial will be replaced and extended with new lights.

Borough Cllr Bruce Tennent, said: “ The scheme is very important because we need to keep up with other country parks in the area and for one reason or the other we haven’t. The coffee shop is very popular but it’s small and we decided to make it bigger and provide better services.”

The café is to be relocated into the main part of High Wood Barn visitor centre, where shops and displays currently are.

The new kitchen will be bigger with new equipment to offer visitors a faster service, with double the amount of indoor seating.

Meanwhile, the site of the old café will be turned into a new indoor play area.

Discussions are ongoing on whether it should be a bespoke design for children aged between two and seven years old or whether it should be a soft play area suitable for those aged between two and four.

The plans are also for new play equipment and an extended play trial.

Itchen Valley Country Park was officially opened in 1987 and while the two play areas were replaced in 2011 and 2012, much of the infrastructure, including the play sculptures forming part of the play trial date back to the 1990s.

Dan Tubb, commercial business manager for the project, said that further work must be undertaken to produce a business plan to support the phase two of the project which could see larger play equipment to be installed on High Hill Field or on the field next to the café.

Future plans also include the refurbishment of the existing toilets and new windows and doors in the visitor centre.