AGEING timber-built jetties at an outdoor centre on Windermere's shores are to be replaced.

The £220,000 project to install new anchored pontoons at Tower Wood Outdoor Education Centre has been given the go-ahead by planners at the Lake District National Park Authority.

Tower Wood offers adventure and activities to schools, youth groups, corporate groups, adults and families. It is owned by Lancashire County Council and is located on the A592 road, four miles from Newby Bridge and three miles from Bowness.

The county council says the new rise-and-fall jetties will enable water-based pursuits such as barrel-rafting, canoeing and sailing to continue to be offered.

Work will begin in May and take around two months to complete.

The existing fixed-height wooden jetties cannot be used when water levels are high. The new pontoons will be made from hard-wearing polyethylene will float on the water, enabling greater use.

To assist people with mobility problems, hoists will continue to be used to transfer visitors to and from boats. The replacement jetties will be fully level and accessible by a ramp. The council says wheelchair access will be enabled as far as possible.

Tower Wood's new Windermere Lodge accommodation won a national award in the Society for Public Architecture, Construction, Engineering and Surveying Civic Building of the Year competition in 2015.