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By Harry Peet
After more than a year of delays the Mote Park Outdoor Adventure area is now open for visitors.
The centre offers the chance to enjoy a high ropes climbing area, a whizz around the Maidstone park on brand new Segways and a round of golf on the Dino mini golf course.
It’s the latest phase of the £4.3 million improvement works at the park which also saw a new playground open earlier in the year.
The second phase, due for completion later this year, will see the construction of visitor centre with a space for venue hire, a new café, toilets including baby changing facilities, and an estate services building all costing £2 million.
Maidstone Borough Council’s leisure manager Mike Evans said: “Since the 2012 Lottery bid and the first phase of regeneration, visitor numbers are now above 1.5 million per year.
“Adding this element in gives everyone that comes here more to do whilst they’re here and fill their whole day rather than just a short visit.”
The regeneration work was meant to get underway in February last year with the Outdoor Adventure area scheduled to have opened in Spring 2018.
However, after delays caused by a ruptured sewage pipe and the weather during The Beast from The East, the park only opened on May 4 this year.
Mr Evans said that after a number of issues he’s pleased to see the park now open for visitors: “Some of it was getting different contractors lined up.
“As with any project of this size we needed to get all companies carrying out different work to get their timelines to all agree with each other.
“But here we are, it’s all finished and what a better time with the weather and the school holidays fast approaching.”
Bookings for the new Outdoor Adventure area can be made here with children’s prices ranging from £3.50 for mini golf to £8.95 for the Sky Trail.