A LONG-AWAITED £3.1million project to restore a Stourbridge park to its former glory is about to get underway.

Park campaigners have been working up plans for more than a decade to give much-loved Mary Stevens Park a major makeover - and work is finally set to start.

The Norton park's grade II listed gates and railings, bandstand, war memorial and pool are all set to be upgraded as part of the project which has seen £2.6million awarded towards it by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund under the Parks for People programme.

The ambitious scheme, which has been on the cards since the Friends of Mary Stevens Park group was formed nearly 15 years ago, will also include improvements to the tea gardens and the creation of a new café.

New netball courts are also set to be created and improvements made to the bowls and croquet sheds.

Cllr Heather Rogers, chairman of the Friends group, said: "We've been trying to get work done on the park for years. We must congratulate all the people who have pushed for it; it’s been a massive project.

"There'll be a lot happening but we've tried to co-ordinate the work so there's not too much going on at once so people can come in and enjoy parts of the park while it is going on."

Dudley Council will be starting preparatory work next month, including tree and fencing works, and contractors are expected to be on site this spring.

Tree works, which will get underway during the first week of February, will see conifers next to the war memorial removed to enhance its visibility.

Shrubs, vegetation and poor quality trees will also be removed and tree pruning will take place around the Heath Pool area.

Councillor Hilary Bills, Dudley's cabinet member for environment and culture, said: “By working with the Friends of Mary Stevens Park we are set to enhance one of our most popular parks.

“It is unfortunate that a small number of trees need to be removed in order to make way for these vital improvements but we will continue to plant trees across the borough as we work to enhance tree quality and bio-diversity.”

As part of the project - fencing will be put in around the pool later in February to discourage birds from nesting where access will be needed for water improvement works.

It is hoped the move will also improve biodiversity by reducing the number of new wild foul arriving in the park.

The council is also working with specialists to manage the removal of fish to make way for pool works and once conditions are favourable they will be restocked.

As part of the lottery award for the park - a new heritage ranger has also been appointed to deliver a programme of outdoor activities.

For more information on the park and restoration project visit www.dudley.gov.uk/see-and-do/parks-open-spaces/