A leading Kirkby councillor hopes the multi-million pound revamp of the town’s Kingsway Park will encourage kids to get active.

Work on the Kingsway Park Sports Hub project began in October 2025 with the aim of enhancing sporting facilities for the wider community.

The improvements, which have been funded partly by Ashfield District Council’s £62.6m Towns Deal, will see the creation of new changing facilities for football, tennis, hockey and other sports.

“This is hopefully going to boost sport in the area and hopefully get kids out of the house and off their games consoles and getting fit and active on the park,” said Coun Dale Grounds, who represents the Kingsway ward at Ashfield District Council.

Coun Dale Grounds, who represents the Kingsway ward at Ashfield District Council, believes the new-look Kingsway Park will be fantastic for the town.

placeholder image — Coun Dale Grounds, who represents the Kingsway ward at Ashfield District Council, believes the new-look Kingsway Park will be fantastic for the town.

“This is one of the most well-used parks in the area. You can walk the dog here, you will see kids playing football, families playing catch, there’s events here as well - it’s a fantastic venue.

“It is going to be fantastic for the bowls club. They have been using the park for a long time, so it’s about time they got an upgrade.

“This is a huge investment, it is Ashfield District Council doing well for the area as always.”

The regeneration scheme also includes a new bowls pavilion, extended car parking, new football pitches and a refurbishment of the existing grass pitches.

The Acre View Café will be kept as is and will become a separate building from the new changing facilities.

Coun Matthew Relf, Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning, said the new-look park would be something for local folk to be proud of.

“This investment will regenerate what is an already popular park and bring next generation facilities to get more people engaged and doing sport.

“It is an exciting time for the town, and the district as a whole. We have secured over £140m of regeneration funding for the local area with various projects, including sporting ones like at Kingsway.

“It is a hidden gem in many ways and something we are very proud of. The people of Kirkby were promised a swimming pool since the 1930s and it's only a few years ago that we delivered on that.

“There are some fantastic facilities for the people of Kirkby.

“The weather has not been our friend but we remain on track. Some things will be completed in the summer, others will push on into the autumn but it is definitely this year that everything will be done.”

Tell us your views on the park revamp by joining the debate on our social media channels.