SIGNIFICANT upgrades can still be made to Padiham’s Memorial Park despite the nature haven missing out on a National Lottery grant, say council leaders.

Park bosses and a local friends group were deeply disappointed when they heard the Padiham venue had missed out on funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

But more than £370,000 worth of work can still be carried out in Memorial Park in the next year and beyond, the borough’s council executive has been told in a report.

New toilets, costing £105,000, and improvements to the play area in the upper park are top of the shopping list, under various capital programmes agreed already by councillors.

Another £100,000 can be spent on restoring the rose garden and shrub beds there, with a further £75,000 identified for planting new trees and thoroughly examining existing specimens.

Other minor works include £24,000 to refurbish the park’s ball court, £14,000 to spruce up the tennis courts and a project to redevelop the old bandstand as a ‘secret garden’ area.

And the creation of the Padiham Greenway, by the county council’s Remade project, connecting the park with the linear park and old railway line, should give hope to park supporters, said lottery judges.

In their final analysis they said: “Even though this park has failed this year, with the improvement of access through the greenway, together with the planned improvements and dedication of the staff, partners and friends group, we see this park bouncing back in the years to come.”

If further grant funding becomes available, improvements can also be made to the lower park play area and the war memorial can be restored.

Those schemes which cannot go ahead, because of the lottery knockback, include a new performance amphitheatre, restoration of a footbridge, a new patio for the visitor centre, history panels for the air raid shelter and riverside and woodland footpaths.

Park head Simon Goff said: “There will be further discussion with members of the Friends of Memorial Park to identify whether any of these proposals should be included in a five year action plan.”