A £90,000 playground refurbishment scheme in Malvern is set to move a step closer as town councillors choose a contractor to undertake the work.

The renewal of Victoria Park children’s playground, off Pickersleigh Road, is due to be done by April 2009. Malvern Town Council successfully applied for a £50,000 grant from funds for public open spaces held by Malvern Hills District Council and agreed to top up the money with £40,000 from its own budget.

Members of the council’s operations committee are now being asked to select a contractor from three companies that submitted tenders for play equipment for the four to 12 age group.

Council officers considered value for money, play value, learning value, disabled access, disabled play/learning value, refurbishment of the existing equipment, safety surfacing, innovation and long term maintenance costs when reviewing each tender.

They are recommending the company that scored top marks for play and learning value, gave a lifetime guarantee for equipment, a free three-year maintenance contract and refurbished some of the existing equipment.

The council’s operations committee meets on Tuesday October 21 to discuss the issue.