MORE than £30,000 is to be spent refurbishing a play area in Fernhill Heath, near Worcester.

North Claines Parish Council has placed an order for equipment, including new swings, a roundabout, playhouse, and a fun trail, to be put on the recreational ground known as The Brum, which is off Droitwich Road.

John Carter, chairman of the parish council, said: "We actually went and spoke with the children and went to schools so this has been done with consultation.

"A lot of the new houses don't have big gardens and there is a trend where families go to these play areas more than they used to." There isn't much room in modern garden for swings and that."

The cost of the equipment, which includes the associated safety surface, is around £23,000 with another £8,000 being spent on a new metal fence around the play area.

The parish council is also proposing putting an all- weather cricket pitch on The Brum next summer. The money used to pay for the refurbishment has accrued over the years from the development of hundreds of homes in the area and been passed on to the parish council from the district council.

Over the past three years, the parish council has spent around £50,000 updating and improving The Brum, including building a youth shelter, a small basketball court and buying football goalposts, which are mounted on wheels so they can be moved around.

The Worcester News first reported proposals to upgrade the play area in November 2004.

Work on the refurbishment is due to start in December and expected to take around six to eight weeks to complete.

Mr Carter added: "We'll have an event for the opening."