The toilets in a popular Oldham park are to get a £55,000 refurbishment.

Oldham council is spending the cash on improvement work at Alexandra Park’s toilet block which it says will bring the facilities up to current standards and improve access which would be provided through the cafe.

The authority says the toilets are currently in a poor state of repair and cannot be accessed from the Boathouse Cafe without people having to go outside.

As part of the work the existing door will be blocked off and once everything is complete the current tenants of the café, Pure Innovations, will take over management and running responsibilities.

Alexandra Park was the first public park in Oldham, opening in 1865 and was named to commemorate the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

Councillor Chris Goodwin, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “This is good news for everyone – the facilities are being upgraded and they stay open.

“If we didn’t carry out this work there is a danger the toilets would continue to be misused and we’d have to look at closing them permanently.

“There is bound to be some disruption while the work is carried out but once it’s complete people will see a big improvement.

“The council isn’t flush with money due to years of austerity but it’s important we continue to invest in our green spaces because they are well used and liked by residents of all ages.

“Recently we’ve reopened the conservatory at the other side of the park and installed a new play area down at Daisy Nook – and we’ll look to continue improving our sites across the borough.”

The council will update residents when work is due to begin on the toilets.

Alexandra Park was one of the first ever ‘job creation’ schemes, developed to provide employment to the many cotton mill workers, who due to the Federal blockade of Confederate seaports during the 1861 American Civil War, found themselves without any raw cotton to spin. It is fondly known as “The Cotton Famine Park”.

The park was restored to its former glory following a significant grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund back in 2004.

Its Grade-II listed conservatory also reopened earlier this summer after being closed for more than two years for an extensive £460k refurbishment.

This included significant repairs to the timber structure and weathervanes, renewal of areas of roof glazing which included curved glass panels at high level in the centre pavilion, replacement of rainwater goods, and a complete overhaul of the original Messenger window opening mechanisms.

Once work on the 116-year-old building was complete, it reopened to allow visitors to view the plants and flowers being grown at the site.