WIDE promenades, improved landscaping, cleaner lakes, quality materials, new planting, sensory gardens, and 'destination' play areas - this is all part of a vision for Poole Park being laid out for residents for the first time.

A raft of detailed proposals are being consulted on as part Borough of Poole's £2.7m bid for Heritage Lottery Funding for improvements for the much-loved Victorian park.

At the moment only 'traffic' and 'heritage and landscape' measures are on the table, but the remaining 'themes' of play, lakes and drainage, and management, maintenance and conservation will be consulted on in the summer.

Project manager Martin Whitchurch said although the council had set out "broad concepts and design principles" in the first round of the bid, this is "the first time we've shown people detailed proposals about what we plan to do under each theme."

Traffic proposals are based around "trying to reduce traffic dominance and make it better for pedestrians," he added. Ideas include wider pedestrian walkways at the Seldown entrance and replacing speed bumps with 'shared surface raised tables'. The roundabout would also go, in its place a 'raised table' would extend over the junction with Whitecliff Road and the entrance to Middle Gate Car Park.

Modifications to parking provision include reconfiguring the two waterside car parking areas in a bid to "reduce their dominance," said Mr Whitchurch. Spaces lost there would be offset by an extension to the Copse Close car park and additional on-street parking in a new access way around the fountain.

The council is also consulting on changes to the way in which the park is closed to traffic - currently between 6am and 10am Monday to Saturday. Options include shortening the closure to 9am, an additional closure from 4pm to 6pm, and closing a stretch within the park either side of the war memorial.

Plans also include felling the horse chestnut trees along The Drive which are considered "poor quality" and replacing them with alternative trees.

Under the heritage and landscape banner the idea is "lifting" the existing spaces, with new additions including a sensory garden in the place of the existing go-kart track, and a 'plant collector's garden' at the putting green site. The rose garden is also in line for a facelift.

Steps around the war memorials would be removed to make them wheelchair accessible.

Other proposals include dredging the silted areas of the freshwater lakes and using the material to widen the banks elsewhere, new planting, improved materials for walkways and barriers, refurbishing the fountain and removal of the carp from the freshwater lakes to improve bio-diversity.

The bid team are already working up the detailed plans under the remaining themes ready for the next round of consultation in July and August. These will be the two play areas, ideas for natural 'play landscapes', and plans for restoring the park's historic buildings, and managing the population of geese among other things.

Mr Whitchurch said: “This is the opportunity for people to have their say before the final bid goes in. We want people to come and see the designs and tell us if they're right, or if not, what we can do to make it right."

He added: "We want to try to manage the park as befits its status as the premier borough park - and safeguard that for the future. All the plans showcase increased quality, and making it better for the park users, with everything from a destination play area, to improving water quality in the lagoon and the freshwater lakes, to trying to recapture some of the Victorian environment and landscaping.

"People might say there’s nothing wrong with the park as it is – and I agree we don’t need dramatic alterations. "What we do need to do is protect the infrastructure so that Poole Park as we know it is there for future generations to use and love in the same way we do at the moment.”

The final bid will need to be submitted by the end of this year - and the council will hear if it has been successful in early spring. For details see pooleprojects.net/pooleparklife