Last month, we revealed Renton residents were being given the opportunity to have their say on the regeneration of a swing park that has fallen into decline in recent years.

At a meeting in the Vale of Leven Academy on Wednesday, March 26 adults and children alike went along to view plans for Renton Central Park.

The meeting was organised by Brian Ronald, of Community Projects West Dunbartonshire, the Vale dad who first told the Reporter about the poor state of the park at New Cordale last year.

He said: “The turnout could have been better, but it was a good enough attendance to make a decision on the proposals.The people there decided unanimously to move forward with one of the plans that was on the table.

“It was great to have children along at the meeting, they were quite positive about the plans and spoke about what they wanted in the park, so that was taken onboard as well — I was quite delighted with the overall result of the meeting.” The new park will feature a smaller fort younger children with obstacles and challenges and a larger fort for older children with more advanced challenges.

As well as this, there will also be a cableway and zip slide connecting the two forts, with a ‘fallen forest’ and climbing boulders on the ground.

The project will take eight weeks to complete, and Brian is now calling on parents and children from the area to come along to a ‘plantation day’ this Wednesday and Thursday (April 9 and 10).

Brian continued: “The next step is we are inviting parents and children along to the plantation days where we will be planting trees on two areas in the park. We’re trying to encourage the children to get involved so they feel they’ve had a role in creating the new park.

“And not to get ahead of myself but there is scope to apply for more funding for the park next year to develop the park further.

“The Environment Trust will monitor the park on a regular basis in terms of health and safety and anything that will be required, will be looked at by the group.” The project has been made possible thanks to the co-operation of the Environment Trust and West Dunbartonshire Council. Alan McMullen, Environmental Regeneration manager for the trust, told the Reporter: “This is an exciting project, it’s not a traditional play area we’re constructing.

“We’re trying to encourage a more imaginative type of play for the children who use the park.

“The idea is for the kids to move around the areas in between the larger equipment, the spaces in between are just as important as the equipment itself.” The plantation days are this Wednesday and Thursday and run from 4.30-6pm, all ages are welcome.