The first phase for plans to transform Fareham Park is making “timely progress” with the local community primed to give feedback on the next stage.

Fareham Borough Council has given the update ahead of April 2’s leisure and community scrutiny panel meeting, where members will hear the latest progress report on Fareham Park’s regeneration.

It said that the first phase of renovating the play park area has nearly been completed and outline planning permission was granted last month for the replacement community centre building.

This planning permission means the council can now produce detailed design plans of what the community centre will look like, including the layout and facilities that will then need to be approved by planners.

Bad weather with heavy rain has meant some parts of the play park project will have to be left until the ground is firmer and finished in time for a spring grand opening, the council said.

A Fareham Park vision advisory committee has been developed to provide a sounding board for the council’s plans for the new community centre, ensuring it remains fit for purpose and reflects the needs of locals, said the council documents.

This first phase, paid for by a £700,000 UK shared prosperity fund grant (UKSPF) that needed to be spent by March 2025, includes a multi-use play area with swings, slides, play panels, and inclusive equipment for children with disabilities.

The multi-use social area for older children includes a table tennis table, a ninja warrior fitness tail, and creative seating in safe spaces.

Included are pitch improvements for both the training and main pitches, along with 19 trees being planted.

The meeting documents said as the weather improves over the next few months, the running track will be painted on the multi-use social area, the old play facilities will be reinstated to grass and the recreation ground car park will be re-marked.

Once all the other contractors are finished on site, the boundary bollards to the recreation ground will be replaced, along the wooden fencing surrounding the community centre car park.

The council document added bid writers at Money Tree have begun work on funding applications to Garfield Weston and the Clothworkers Foundations to raise £2.15million needed for the project shortfall. Applications will also be made to the National Lottery once their latest fund opens in April.

Money Tree has also drafted a comprehensive case of support documents that council officers will be able to use to make further applications at the right time to funds such as Veolia.

The project is estimated to cost around £4.6 million with total funding in place of £2.45 million; £1.75 million from the council’s Section 106 developers’ contributions, which are reallocated from the redundant Cams Alders Vision project, and £700,000 from the government’s UKSPF.