PLANS for more work to improve Upton Country Park have been revealed as part of a project that will be the subject of a £1.9m funding bid.

As previously reported, proposals for a new welcome centre have already been given permission and a planning application for a new adventure playground was recently submitted.

The Discovery Project will also see the park’s historical features restored, its grounds improved and landscapes that have been lost over time re-instated.

Two other planning applications have been recently published - one for a network of new pathways to enable the reinstatement of the historic pleasure grounds and another to repair collapsed drains at Coopers Yard and re-lay the historic brick courtyard.

A bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £1.9m will be made in the autumn to fund the work. BCP Council and Friends of Upton Country Park will raise a £325,000 contribution needed for the bid.

The proposed gravel pathways will improve accessibility across the grounds, according to the council’s planning application. The paths will also link Upton House to the wider country park. They will match the recently installed paths in the southern area of the park

A deteriorating wooden fence along the northern boundary of the park, adjacent to the A350, will be replaced with metal estate fencing.

Another application covers work to repair the surface water drainage under the Stable Yard. Following an investigation, the drainage was found to have collapsed, resulting in flooded areas around the yard, as well as uneven surfaces.

The Stable Yard provides access to the walled garden and tea rooms.

An adjacent wall is in a “detrimental condition”, according to the planning application, and will need replacing.

The yard’s brick paving will be removed while the drainage system is repaired, and the bricks will be replaced afterwards.