TEN more play areas are to be built or upgraded as part of a Government scheme.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has secured an overall £1.1 million of Playbuilder funds to improve facilities for eight to 13-year-olds.

Work on an initial 11 city play areas agreed last year is due to be finished by the end of the month.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now drawn up a list of 11 more sites which will benefit from investment. But development of one of the new sites, at Hem Heath Woods nature reserve in Newstead, has now been put back following eleventh-hour objections from residents.

Deputy council leader Brian Ward, pictured, yesterday told cabinet members that he hoped Hem Heath Wood would eventually be included in the plans.

But he added it was important to consider other options in the light of public opposition.

He said: "We have decided to look at this particular site more closely, with a view to locating it somewhere more favourable that is going to be acceptable to residents in the area.

"It needs to be done properly and transparently and in consultation with people in the area."

Each of the new sites will receive £54,577, but the city council must complete work by March 31 next year or it may lose the grant.

Jim Gibson, chairman of Chell Heath Residents' Association, said: "Everybody says there is nowhere for young people to go and nothing for them to do, so this play area will certainly help with that."

The council's neighbourhood teams worked alongside communities, councillors and other professionals to identify potential locations and reasons why areas would make a good Playbuilder location.

A panel consisting of Playbuilder Steering Group members was then formed with councillors to visit nominated sites. Members then scored locations based on information from their visits and details provided on the nomination forms to pick out the 11 locations.

Brian Jones, chairman of Wood Farm Residents' Association in Meir, said: "We want to bring our play area up to date, because nothing has been done to it for 20 years.

"We've got a massive field with lots of potential, but we need the funding to improve it."

Primary, high and special schools are now set to be consulted over how they want the play areas to be designed before planning application are submitted.

Wards already to have benefited from the funding include Great Chell, Mount Pleasant, Norton, Etruria, Longton, Boothen, Trent Vale and Meir.