More than three quarters of a £2.8m grant will be used to give a famous Maldon landmark a complete facelift.

The district council announced £2,550,000 of work for five sites around the district after receiving a share of the Liveability Fund, an £89m pilot scheme run by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Richard Holmes, of Maldon District Council, said the bulk of the money - £2,137,000 - will be used at the town's popular Promenade Park, with the majority spent on major changes to the marine lake.

Mr Holmes said the lake will be given a concrete base and turned into a shallow bathing pool with sand all the way around the edge.

He said the plans would mean the area being shut to the public at some point.

He added: "Repairs are going to be done on the sea wall which will probably start around mid summer.

"Although the lake will be empty, we will try to keep the sand area open throughout the school holidays.

"The lake project will begin late summer, and although we will keep the beach open for as long as we possibly can, it will be have to be shut completely at some point."

Published Tuesday April 6, 2004

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