A NEW £30,000 play area is being eagerly anticipated by Swindon youngsters.

The proposed redevelopment of the Savernake Road site in Old Town was discussed during a public consultation meeting at the weekend.

Exciting plans include a basketball court and a number of slides, with work starting as soon as April.

The play area may also see the graffiti art wall surrounding it become a thing of the past, according to a local councillor. The wall is a dedicated area for those wanting to practice their tagging.

Liberal Democrat leader and Eastcott councillor Stan Pajak thinks the new and improved site will become something very positive for the community.

He said: “It’s great the users themselves are having the input in the decision-making process.

“They are not been dictated to and are having their say.

“More than 100 people, including children, came along to the consultations over two weekends, so there’s a lot of interest. I think it’s better if the graffiti wall was removed. The basketball court could then have a mesh fence around it.”

A decision on how to progress the project will be taken by groups working in the area during the next six weeks.

It is expected to take a fortnight to complete the work. The project comes after £1.1 million plans to revamp 22 play areas were revealed by Swindon Council in August last year. They will all be transformed as part of the Play Builder Project during the next two years. The sites were chosen following an extensive survey of all playgrounds in the borough, a Swindon Council spokeswoman has said.

They had to meet certain criteria, which focused on the site age, condition and current play value, as well as its location.

New climbing frames, swings, and areas for natural play are just some of the improvements that will be made to freshen up the sites, meet the play needs of children and make them more child-friendly.