A MULTI-million pound scheme to restore a Huddersfield park to its former glory is well on its way to completion.

Those involved with the £5.4m Greenhead Park project expect the work to be completed by this October and hope to welcome big events like the town carnival.

The restoration project has come under fire by some locals who complained of slow progress and grassed areas of the Victorian park being left a muddy mess.

But park bosses say scheme is progressing well and expect contractors to deliver the finished result on schedule.

John Fletcher, assistant head of Kirklees Council’s Culture and Leisure Services for parks, said: “We have been set back a couple of weeks because of the bad weather, but that’s understandable and it’s now full steam ahead.

“Some areas of the project are currently ahead of schedule and we are right on target for our completion date of October 2010.”

“We are very pleased with the progress and are looking forward to unveiling the end result, which I think the town will be very proud of.”

The multi-million pound scheme has been planned for years, with work finally getting underway last May.

The vision was to return the park, created in 1884, to its glory days, restoring iconic features including the conservatory, Italianate fountain and lake.

Work on restoring the main conservatory building is now well underway, with the framework of the new restaurant being built next to it now in place.

The pavilion by the tennis courts has been completely gutted to be refurbished as a cafe and information centre.

Workers have also started excavating the huge lake, which was filled in post-war, and railings are being built around the park to give it an impressive entrance.

Work will start in spring to build the permanent play area and another big project is to create an ampitheatre-style area with a new drainage system.

This should allow for more activities and events to be staged there, which may herald the return of the popular carnival.

Mr Fletcher said: “You can really see the shape and scale of the park emerging now and it’s difficult to believe that work only started on it last May.

“This has been several years in the making and I think it is starting to look really impressive.

“We wanted to bring the park back to how it should be and I think it’s going to look even better than the original.

“It’s going to be really special and hopefully something the people of Huddersfield and future generations can be really proud of.”

Meanwhile council bosses have vowed to restore an area of the Piazza left in a muddy state following the removal of the town’s Christmas ice rink.

A council spokeswoman said: “Culture and Leisure Services landscape team are preparing to reinstate the ground.

“This really needs better weather conditions than we have experienced of late, but as soon as conditions allow the site will be cultivated, top dressed and seeded.

“We expect it to fully recover in early spring when the temperature increases to allow germination and growth.”