Work is due to commence on a £1.34m scheme to upgrade facilities at Jordanstown Loughshore Park in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, on 1 September.

Newtownabbey Borough Council (NBC) has announced that the park, including the play area and car park, will be closed to visitors until the scheme is completed in spring 2011. The council has contributed £670,000 towards the scheme, matched by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's Tourism Development Scheme as part of a wider bid to improve the Causeway Coastal Route.

An existing amenity block will be replaced with modern facilities for caravanners and members of the public, while a new café and a stepped terrace to provide shore access are also set to be created. Newtownabbey mayor Paula Bradley said: "We hope to reopen the park with the impressive new facilities in April 2011. While we realise the temporary closure will be inconvenient we hope the end result will be worth waiting for."