NEARLY £100,000 is to be spent installing a games area and gym in a Bestwood park to help avoid antisocial behaviour.

Nottingham City Council has secured cash for the facility, which will be in Southglade Park.

Bestwood councillors Brian Grocock, Mick Wildgust, and David Smith have agreed to put £9,000 of their Ward Members budget towards the project.

Mr Grocock said the new multi-use games area and gym would help prevent young people in the area from being bored.

He said: "The antisocial behaviour up there isn't a problem that we pay particular attention to.

"But if kids get bored they get into mischief and we want to make sure there are things for young people to do.

"The games area that is there is quite tired. It's been there for a number of years and we felt it was a good opportunity to enhance the area as well."

There have been ongoing problems with antisocial behaviour on the all-weather football pitches in Southglade Park, with young people wanting to access the pitches when they are booked by fee-paying customers, Mr Grocock said.

The multi-use games area and gym will be installed on derelict tennis courts on the site to reduce antisocial behaviour in other areas.

The rest of the £97,000 worth of funding will come from various sources.

The NHS will contribute £50,000 and £7,000 will come from the council's parks and open spaces budget.

A further £31,000 will come from section 106 funding for Bulwell Forest and Area 2, which includes Bestwood and Basford.

Section 106 payments are made to councils by developers seeking planning consent, to be spent on improving things like roads, schools or parks.

Mr Grocock said as well as improving the look of the Bestwood, the new games area would also improve the health of young people in the area.

"It's all about getting kids outside and getting them to enhance their activities," he said. "We know that a lot of young people in the area are sat behind computers so part of it is to make sure they are getting outside and getting interaction with other kids through team sports.

"We've already had the skate park and new children's play areas installed here so this will add to [what] we are creating for young people in Bestwood."