Next steps for major investment in Preston Park as plans for new cafe and toilets are submitted

Plans for improved café and toilets at Preston Park have been submitted, as part of efforts to upgrade facilities for visitors to this much-loved destination.

The proposals include refurbishment of the café in the Park, including a new, covered outdoor seating area, facing onto to the popular children's play area.

A new building, connected to the café, will house new toilets, including accessible 'Changing Places' facilities.

A planning application has been submitted on Wednesday (3 April) detailing a single storey extension to the south of the existing café, with the demolition of the existing, outdated toilet block.

The revamped facilities are part of the wider improvements to Preston Park Museum & Grounds, which will complement the bold new extension to the museum.

The new, two-storey building connected to the existing Victorian Street will incorporate a large flexible exhibition space and collections rooms. These new spaces will make it possible to bring nationally significant touring exhibitions and objects to the Tees Valley for the first time.

Construction work is underway on the new building, with its steelwork frame set to be erected over the next few weeks. Works to the southern car park that will create around 100 additional spaces will also begin later in April.

Further park improvements, including the repurposing of the aviary structure and new interpretation to highlight the Stockton & Darlington Railway story, are also being developed and will be shared soon.

The transformation of Preston Park is being funded after the Council secured £20million for work in Yarm and Eaglescliffe, as part of the Stockton South Constituency, from the Levelling Up Fund.

The investment at the popular visitor attraction will provide significant benefits to the region, boosting the tourism economy and improving access to culture and heritage for people across the Tees Valley.

Reuben Kench, Director of Community Services, Environment and Culture, at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said: "The major exhibitions and events in the museum extension will bring thousands more visitors to Preston Park, from the local area and further afield. These improvements to the café and toilets are crucial to ensure those visitors have a positive experience of the whole attraction.

"It will be wonderful for families to be able to relax and enjoy refreshments inside the café, while also having a safe space to experience the outdoor facilities and watch their children play in the popular playpark."

The improvements to Preston Park Museum & Grounds are set to be complete in 2025.