Swindon: Coate Water Splash Park renovation work underway

Renovation work on a closed splash park is now underway.

Coate Water splash park in Swindon, Wiltshire, will reopen before the summer holidays as part of a £425,000 project.

It is designed to be fully accessible and will include a children’s pool, water features and games.

Swindon Borough Councilor Chris Watts told the BBC the council also wants to open a new cafe and bring the former pitch and putt back.

Images of the new splash park were revealed to the public on Tuesday, showing a sloping design that allows wheelchair users to access the children’s pool.

The splash park will also include rumble strips, railings and interactive elements located outside the main water feature.

The changes were agreed after a survey and focus group were carried out last year.

Mr Watts, who is responsible for environment and transport at Swindon Borough Council, said inclusivity was a “big part of the feedback”.

“We looked to see if people wanted a children’s pool or a splash park and ended up with a hybrid that would hopefully meet both needs,” he told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

Mr Watts said the scheme is being paid for with money the council has earned from developers.

He described the previous facility as “the end of life” before it was closed.

He said: “It was just limping along to the point when we first came in when the new administration told us it was too expensive to keep it going so we had to close it down.

“I had the money set aside, it had been there for several years. It was just about getting that money to work for Coate Water and the people of Swindon.”