CHILDREN and parents will have their vision turned into reality, when plans for two play areas based on their own ideas come to fruition.

Walsworth Common and Ransoms Recreation Ground in Hitchin will have new playgrounds built, as part of a joint venture between North Herts District Council (NHDC) and Groundwork Hertfordshire.

Groundwork has published drawings (pictured) which show what new facilities the two parks could benefit from.

The plans are based on meetings with a parents’ group, school councils and representatives at Highover JMI School.

Two consultation events have also just been held. Groundwork will collate feedback from those events and come back with revised plans. The two events attracted about 60 responses.

Dean Young, landscape architect for Groundwork, said: “We had a good response – each family usually fills out one form between them, so there was quite a lot of interest.

“We had some good feedback – people are happy with the designs. The kind of things people were talking about were tweaking of things, not big changes.

“We have got to get all the information we have got now and will go back and talk to NHDC, and then we will be looking at amendments and doing a detailed design.”

At Walsworth, plans include a new toddler play area, a tangled climbing web, a zip wire, an older children area with spinners, a basket swing and bouncing boards, a zebra crossing path, a grass maze and a “dead forest”, with timber swings, log steps and a den making frame.

Ransoms Rec could benefit from a refurbished multi-ball court, a “wild area” near the River Hiz, a toddler assault course, another older children area and a climbing wall.