SIGNIFICANT infrastructure improvements to popular three car parks at Arrow Valley Country Park are set to begin from early April.

As part of Redditch Borough Council's car park improvement scheme, the car park off Battens Drive opposite Lidl and the car parks closest to the visitor centre and next to Stitch Meadow, will be undergoing extension and improvement works, as well as infrastructure improvements and the widening of the road that connects the two areas.

Several trees and bushes were cleared earlier in March, outside of the nesting season, in preparation for the council’s contractors at Kelbec to begin the first phase of the work, due to take place from April 8 onwards. The first phase of the work will take place opposite the visitor centre with the addition of 9 new spaces in the parking area currently for disabled use only.

From mid-end of April works will then take place to extend the other car parks, with 24 extra spaces being added to the car park which backs onto Stitch Meadow, and the car park off Battens Drive which will have 9 new spaces.

Following this initial work, a more difficult and disruptive phase of the work will begin which will require the car parks to be closed to the public during the week but open at weekends.

From the end of April until early May, contractors will be working to widen areas of the connecting road between the car parks, as well as adding a layby to ease the flow of traffic.

The work will then continue throughout the latter part of May with the construction and relocation of the current entrance to the Battens Drive car park.

The entrance will no longer be opposite the access to the Lidl car park, but higher up to improve the flow of traffic into both the park and the supermarket car parks.

The works will be finishing with the closure of the old entrance, relining work, fencing and the installation of a new height barrier. 

It is hoped that the project will be completed by the end of May or early June, weather permitting.