A GREEN space in Barrow is set for an £85,000 upgrade courtesy of a bid for government funding.

The borough council wants to make improvements to an area in Argyle Place.

It has applied for a chunk of the Government’s Levelling Up Parks Fund (LUPF) to carry out the work.

David Haughian, capital programme manager at the borough council, told The Mail the council was ‘very confident’ that funding would be secured.

“Before Christmas, we will be starting to engage with community groups and residents,” he said.

The exact form the work will take has not been decided upon yet although £19,000 from the LUPF money has been earmarked for tree planting.

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The plan is for the council to appoint a landscape architect to design the improved green space and for work at the site to have been completed by March of next year.

In a report produced ahead of a meeting of the borough council’s executive committee on Wednesday, Mr Haughian said the council was named as an eligible council for the LUPF in August of this year.

“Eligible local authority areas rated highly on the Index of Multiple Deprivation and had limited access to green space,” he said.

“The purpose of the fund is to create a new or significantly refurbished green space in urban areas that need it most.”

Mr Haughian said Central ward was the only ward in Barrow that was eligible for the LUPF.

It satisfied the necessary criteria by sitting in the top two deciles of the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation and by having less than five per cent of its area covered by, or within 200m of, an accessible green space of at least 5,000 sq metres in size.

Mr Haughian said that, following site visits and engagement with ward councillors, Argyle Place was the area ‘felt to be most in need of improvement’ in Central ward.

“The site is currently in Barrow Borough Council’s ownership, which enables the project to be delivered within a short timeframe,” he said.

“Creating an attractive green area at Argyle Place will be beneficial for the wellbeing of local people and families.

“Providing an improved park area in the Central ward will provide better outdoor play opportunities for children and have a positive effect on health and wellbeing, and contribute to community life."