NEW life would be breathed into parks in Darlington under proposals submitted to the borough's planning department.

Work on a £878,000 project to revamp the six Denes, which run along the Cocker Beck through Darlington, could be under way early next year after the last of the plans were received by Darlington Borough Council.

The plans will be considered over the coming months.

They include improvements to access, lighting, security and equipment in the parks, as well as environmental enhancements that are hoped will entice both wildlife and local residents alike.

Wildflower meadows and bird and bat boxes would be installed throughout the parks, while in Paddly Dene, which runs alongside Drury Road, a 35-metre by 25-metre pond would be created as a haven for water voles, and amphibians.

Money from the pot, which was granted to the council from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will also pay for a number of events in the parks aimed at getting people back into the open spaces.

Creative blacksmith Matthew Feddon has designed feature archway gates to be installed at the entrances to some of the parks.

Nigel Potter, operations manager at regeneration charity Groundwork, which has played a pivotal role in securing the funding and throughout the planning process, said: "It is about bringing the parks back into use, making them much more inviting to residents, and creating a well maintained space that people can use.

"It will give them a better feeling of safety around the parks and they will be more accessible as well."

Steven Drabik, the architecture liaison officer at Durham Police was shown the plans to see if there were any issues from a crime prevention point of view. He said: "There has been a history of anti-social behaviour in the Denes. This refurbishment is therefore an ideal opportunity to try and design out crime in the parks."

Mr Drabik did suggest the new gates were designed in a way "robust enough to resist vandalism" and also called for anti-graffiti paint to be used.

He also recommended regular warden patrols and warning signs were used to discourage dog fouling.