THE new owners of a popular attraction in Poole Park have unveiled ambitious plans for an extensive refurbishment.

Richard and Sarah de Lisle bought Central Park earlier this year and are investing £1 million in the building, which contains a café and leisure facilities.

The interior of the café will be redesigned to be more light and airy and a new outdoor terrace built with covered areas to provide shelter.

The couple, who live locally and have two young children, say they want to create a warm and friendly environment for the community and visitors of all ages.

“Our aim is to transform the building and to put it back at the heart of the park. Poole Park is one of the town’s real gems and is a wonderful amenity – we want to give it the kind of café and play facilities that it deserves,” said Richard.

“The plan is to retain and significantly upgrade the existing ice rink, create an entirely new soft play area for children and to transform the café into a welcoming hub at the centre of the park.

“We want to build a much closer association between the existing buildings and their surroundings, to soften the hard edges and make them much more people-friendly,” he added.

The new design will also link closely to the park’s outdoor play area and provide plenty of space for buggy and cycle parking.

  • The café, ice skating rink and Gus Gorillas will be closed to the public from Sunday, September 8 and reopened on December 7 to allow renovation work to take place.