FUNDING has been approved to begin the next stage in the £3.2million restoration of Burnley's Towneley Park.

Burnley Council has agreed to spend £676,076 to restore historic features, such as the War memorial, woodland avenues and ornamental gardens, in a bid to boost visitor numbers.

The overhaul of the park and hall is now in its third year and much of the major work has been carried out.

The pond, car parks and toilets and the extension have already been completed and the work to the park is expected to be completed by 2010.

Work is due to start in the autumn, with the £77,000 being spent on the restoration of the ornamental gardens and £40,000 on the restoration of the war memorial.

The war memorial was built in 1926 and over a decade ago the reflective pond under the memorial was filled in and plants were placed in the pond structure.

Council bosses have decided to restore the reflective pond to its former glory, digging up the plants, putting in a new water pump and lowering the depth of the pond so it is safe for children.

It is also hoped that the war memorial will be cleaned up by specialists and the lettering will be re-guilded.

Parks and Green spaces manager Simon Goff said: "The park is grade II listed and we wanted to restore it back to how it used to look.

"The plants have been chosen and will be planted to reflect how it originally looked in the 19th century.

"So far we have had a very positive response from the public and we are hoping to make the park even more popular."