EXCITING plans for a brand new £100,000 “all-abilities” playground for Machynlleth have been unveiled.

Speaking at a meeting of Machynlleth Town Council on Monday, Future Play Machynlleth volunteers presented councillors with three options for the playground going forward.

Future Play Machynlleth are a voluntary group aiming to provide a playground in the town which is accessible to children of all abilities.

Having raised more than £26,000 and with a Big Lottery application in the pipeline, the group are ready to start with a phased approach to developing a playground and will put the three designs out for public consultation before making a final decision.

The current playground is the only one in Machynlleth and serves children within a 10-mile radius of the town.

The Cambrian News reported last year that the current playground was described by Future Play secretary Danielle Armstrong, whose seven-year-old son William suffers with a rare syndrome which limits his ability to walk unaided, as “not fit for purpose” and “inaccessible” to children with disabilities.

The group’s favoured designs, by Sutcliffe Play, which are the most expensive at £101,808 excluding VAT, would be built in two phases.

“What we like about this design is that a lot of it is made with stainless steel, which is very durable and not easy to vandalise or damage,” Mrs Armstrong told councillors.

“It is also easy to replace individual items if they break.”

The other designs included one by Playdale Playgrounds, which would cost £99,992.88 excluding VAT, and another by Jupiter Play, which would cost £49,732 excluding VAT.

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