New Walsall Arboretum work will start at Easter

Legal and land issues are said to have caused delays to the start of work on the fifth and final stage of the £7.5 million project. It had originally been set to start at the end of last year.

The visitors centre is the latest part of the transformation, which has already seen large swathes of the park landscaped and revamps of the boathouse and bandstand.

Leisure chief Councillor Anthony Harris said the scale of the work meant unexpected delays could sometimes emerge.

"Things are progressing well with the Arboretum restoration," he said. "With a large project such as this there can be a number of unexpected developments beyond our control.

"However, the council is hopeful that these matters will be resolved shortly."

Councillor Harris said the restoration of the town's premier park was almost complete.

But he added: "Legal problems and problems with certain areas of the land in there have stopped us from starting as soon as we would have liked."

The visitors' centre will house toilet facilities, a cafeteria, meeting room and classroom, plus changing rooms and accommodation to support the transfer of the council's outdoor pursuits team to the park.

News the work will soon start is the latest boost for Walsall Arboretum.

Work to replace its lido dating back to 1953 is nearing completion and will see interactive and modern water jets take its place.

And the Express & Star revealed on Saturday moves to light up the park permanently in a bid to replace the axed Illuminations will take place this year.

It has also been revealed the children's play area is poised to benefit from a further £175,000 modernisation.