HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds is to be ploughed into two of the most pleasant and picturesque areas of Worcester.

Worcester City Council’s Conservative cabinet agreed on Tuesday, July 28, to invest £200,000 into building a new toilet block, community room and refreshment kiosk around the Splashpad at Gheluvlet Park as well as £665,000 into sprucing up Diglis fields and the surrounding area.

Tuesday’s meeting heard the Splashpad had become a major attraction since it opened in 2010 – replacing the park’s run-down paddling pool – with the park itself seeing more than 800,000 visitors between October 2013 and September 2014.

But people visiting the attraction have been forced to trek to the nearby Pump House cafe or the other end of the park to use the toilet.

Council leader Cllr Simon Geraghty said he was delighted by how popular the park had become and wanted to make it even more attractive to visitors

“We’re not looking at this as an income generation – it’s about maintaining the service,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic city-wide and, I would argue, Worcestershire facility.

“It will be well used and provide a much needed facility to the area and make sure visitors have a good experience.

“We want visitors to Worcestershire to have a good experience and come back.”

Building work is expected to begin in October and be complete in time for next spring.

The Diglis plans involve setting up lighting on currently un-lit areas of the river between the Diglis Bridge and Worcester Bridge, planting trees and wildflowers along the north west section of the nature reserve and putting new seating between Cherry Orchard and the river basin with views towards the cathedral.

Cllr Geraghty said ensuring the river was fully lit was important to ensure people walking along the path at night were safe.

“Making sure that area is safe and appropriate lit is very important,” he said. “There are some gaps in lighting – we want to enhance it for all the people who are walking and cycling.”

The scheme also includes changes to the council's mowing plan to increase areas of longer grass and wildflowers around the fields, new boundary fencing along the eastern boundary as well as a hard-surfaced path through the fields and new gates at all the entrances.

Marked trails throughout the nature reserve linking to the riverside and a small car park on the old children's play area are also included, but plans for outdoor gym equipment, which were suggested last year, are not going ahead for budgetary reasons.

Cllr Andy Roberts said: “The idea is to make it parkland, not Teletubby land”.

Cllr Geraghty said he believed the work would improve the attractiveness of Diglis, already one of the most popular areas of the city with visitors.

“We all know what a popular riverside Worcester has,” he said. “It’s a real jewel in Worcester’s crown.”

The work is expected to get underway this autumn.