A RUNDOWN play area in Kingshill will be refurbished as part of a £150,000 council scheme.

The play area at Savernake Street will receive £34,000 which will be funded from the playground refurbishment budget of £150,000 to upgrade some of the borough's older playgrounds.

Some of the old play equipment at the Savernake Street play area has already been removed on the grounds of health and safety and a failure to refurbish this play area would have meant no play provision in the Eastcott Ward.

However, the refurbishment plans will now be put into action after they were agreed by the Area Panel (South) representing the wards of Eastcott, Old Town and Lawns, Wroughton and Chisleldon .

The playground issue has caused controversy in Swindon with youngsters and parents complaining that facilities are either not up to scratch or non-existent.

Resident, Alex Giles, said: "I used to play in this area when I was a little girl and now I have children of my own and I know that most of the areas are under equipped.

"It will be great to see the refurbishment of the play area at Savernake Street.

"I hope to work with other parents to ensure that play areas are well maintained."

The refurbishment will include repainting and replacing some items in the toddler's area and installing a new skate unit with a raised bark pit and teen shelter.

The area will contain equipment for children from the ages of three to 15 years.

Vice-chairwoman of the meeting, Councillor Anne Baxter (Lib Dem, Eastcott), welcomed the move and said she had heard a good response about the plans.

"I was visited by the community policeman who said that the plans were very well designed in terms of the placement of the teen shelter," she said. "From a resident's point of view in terms of any noise coming from the shelter, it is as far away as possible."

Savernake Street play area was constructed in two phases the older part of the play area and the sleeper walls were built in 1972 and the newer toddler's play area was built in partnership with the Eastcott Community Council in 1995.

Almost half the playgrounds in Swindon have closed in the last 20 years and more than 60 have closed since January 1998.

Further playgrounds could go in 2004 when they are expected to reach the end of their respective sell-by dates.