A much-loved Penparcau park is to get a facelift, Aberystwyth Town Council has announced.

The council agreed on 24 February, to spend £20,000 painting the park and installing paths at the park at the top of Penparcau, near the roundabout.

A consultation will also now be held into improving and replacing apparatus in the park.

Cllr Charlie Kingsbury told the council: “A lot of residents have been in touch. There’s dismay that the work we are proposing doesn’t go far enough.

“I get the feeling there’s more we could do in terms of a formal consultation process.”

Cllr Kingsbury recommended that the council holds a public consultation on updating the equipment, as well as beginning the vital improvements that have already been agreed.

Penparcau Community Forum has been at the forefront of the community effort, circulating petitions and advocating for further attention to be paid to the park.

Clare Jackson, local conversations officer at Penparcau Community Forum, said: “You look at the castle park [in Aberystwyth], it’s had two major refurbishments in the past 10 years, and there are no families there.

“We’re the biggest ward and we pay the biggest precept, but we’ve been told there’s no money for new equipment.

“I appreciate they want the promenade and the castle park to look nice and that tourism is important, but we need to look after the next generation.

“Out of the 800 families in Penparcau, one in four children lives in poverty. It’s diabolical.”

Ms Jackson, who has lived in Penparcau for 11 years and has five children, has only been in this job for seven weeks but has made the park her main priority.

“We want an outdoor space for the kids to thrive in, for the parents to engage in,” she said.

“The kids need somewhere where they feel safe and they can play. Play is so important for children and at the moment we can’t facilitate that.”

In light of this, Aberystwyth Town Council has decided that it will begin on the “much-needed work”, but that it will also hold public consultations on the possibility of upgrading the equipment in the park.

Ms Jackson said she will be inviting the council to hold consultations at Penparcau Community Hub.

Ceredigion MP Ben Lake visited the park on 21 February to discuss the community’s concerns.

“Concerns regarding the condition of the Penparcau playground were raised with me last week, when I had the opportunity to visit the park and see the issues first hand,” he said.

“I understand Aberystwyth Town Council discussed the matter in a recent meeting. Constructive steps were proposed to address the condition of the playground and play equipment, and a consultation with the local community was suggested to set out the way forward.

“I welcome the town council’s swift action on this matter and look forward to supporting them and the community in Penparcau to bring any plans to fruition.”