A POPULAR village playground and pavilion has been granted permission for the upgrade of its facilities that had 'begun to fall into disrepair'.

The Staveley Village Association (SVA) has been given the go-ahead for the refurbishment of the children's playground at the southern end of Main Street, along with a new, accessible door to the toilet in the adjacent pavilion.

The proposal also allows for a new, larger window to be installed into the pavilion, 'or a visual connection between users of the hall and the playground during children's parties'.

The upgrades to the playground have already been completed so that part of the application granted is retrospective.

The Design and Access Statement submitted as part of the application explains the process and reasoning of upgrading the play facilities.

It states that: "Since its improvement in 2010 The Playground has been a very successful and popular asset.

"(It) has become a popular attraction with families visiting Staveley from surrounding towns and villages.

"By 2019 The Playground had begun to fall into disrepair, and an initial consultation was entered into with the Staveley community to discuss means of repairing and improving the facilities. 

The SVA then embarked on a fund-raising campaign in order to refurbish the playground, which was closed on Sunday, October 31 to allow for 'a period of refurbishment and renewal'.

READ MORE: Villagers celebrate long-awaited grand opening of new playground

The statement says: "The SVA embarked on a series of fund-raising initiatives including raising donations from local businesses and applying for grant funding, as well as staging several public events that included Easter Egg hunts, film screenings, swimming challenges, car boot sales, and so on, in order to provide refurbished (where appropriate) and new play facilities.

"During this time The SVA also decided to improve the facilities at The Pavilion."

Groundworks were carried out, including the removal of 'obsolete' play equipment, and the installation of new, cushioned flooring.

New play equipment includes a climbing frame for infants, a gravity bowl, a log cabin, spring bikes, a see-saw, a play tractor, a rubber hammock, swings, ropes, log trails, balance beams, a junior climbing frame, and climbing boulders sourced from local quarries.

The upgraded playground remains within the former site's boundary.