Plans are underway for a £4.6m revamp of Lloyd and Aveling Park in Waltham Forest, London.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund have already awarded Waltham Forest Council £167,000 in order to develop its plans for the park.

The plans include extensive planting and restoration of the park itself, while existing buildings such as the Changing Room Gallery will be improved and a new bowls centre and skatepark will be built.

The new-look park will celebrate the life and works of William Morris – an English writer, artist and socialist who lived in the 19th century.

The council’s cabinet member for leisure, arts and culture, Geraldine Reardon, said: “This money will enable us to make our vision for Lloyd and Aveling Park a reality.

“There is still a lot of work to be done, but we have successfully negotiated the first hurdle and now we can develop detailed plans on how we will upgrade the park.”

The council has a year to make a detailed application for £3.6m of funding, with a final decision from the HLF expected in August 2009. The council will also contribute £1m.