PLANS to improve facilities and services in a Wyre town have been given the green light.
Councillors backed the ideas put forward in the Thornton Action Plan, which will see flood defences developed, cycling pathways re-laid and facilities for young and old people enhanced.
Among the many changes Thornton will see over the coming months is the expansion of the play area at Wyre Estuary Country Park, in Stanah.
Wyre Council’s cabinet agreed to release £62,000 in funding to expand the current playground to provide an area suitable for children aged under six.
Decorative posts, boulders, safe swings and picnic benches will all be built in the park to give young families a better opportunity to use the site.
Coun Don MacNaughton, Bourne ward councillor and lead member for the Thornton Action Plan, said: “I’m very pleased our plan has been approved – it will help to make Thornton an even better place to live.
“We will be working very hard to make sure the plan is a long-term success.
“One of its purposes is to be a living document and it will expand over time to provide more ideas and help more people and other areas.”
Thornton Action Group submitted plans to develop a pathway between Thornton Library car park and the rear of Ansdell Nursery on Victoria Road East, but they were rejected.
However, chairman Peter Ryan, has welcomed the plans designed to benefit the rest of Thornton.
He said: “The country park did need something for younger children because I’ve been there with my own grandchildren and it always seems to be aimed at 14-year-olds rather than four-year-olds.
“This is a welcome addition to the facility at Stanah and it’s going to be better for families and their young children to interact.
“It’s quite common to go to play areas and find the equipment is too old for young children and too dangerous.”
Mr Ryan says other aspects of the plan will help Thornton develop as a town.
He added: “One of the main issues with Thornton is the recent increase in housing.
“A lot of people live in Thornton and travel to Manchester or east Lancashire and it’s becoming much more of a dormitory town than it was 10 year ago and they need access to accommodation.”
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