Take a look at what's in store at the revamped Marine Gardens play park in Carrickfergus

Upgrades to the seafront park commended at the start of February, with an anticipated completion date of July 2024.

The redesign includes new play equipment that will promote physical development, cognitive skills and sensory exploration, from slides and climbing frames to interactive sensory areas and inclusive swings.

Accessible pathways and seating areas are in the plans, along with “improved security”, according to the council.

As before, a play-ship replica of The Result - the last schooner to be built in Carrickfergus in 1893 - remains the centrepiece of the outdoor space.

The local authority also secured £29,000 funding through the Department for Communities’ Access and Inclusion Fund to enable the purchase of a Changing Places unit for the park, to be launched alongside the re-opening of the play area.

While a number of pieces of equipment such as swings have yet to be installed, with some minor landscaping work to be completed, the park is currently on schedule to welcome visitors this summer.

The flagship playpark was originally installed in 2012 as part of wider refurbishment of Marine Gardens.

However, the area has been plagued by antisocial behaviour and vandalism in recent years, with damage caused to play equipment on more than one occasion.

Earlier this year, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council approved the sum of £460k to deliver an upgrade of the playground after members were told it could “close within six months without investment” due to equipment that was “not fit for purpose”.