AFTER ten years and a lot of campaigning the children of a York village are finally to get a play area.

Knapton, west of York, has never had a recreation ground - but now one is set to be ready for children to play on by the summer.

Martin Young, chair of the Friends of Knapton Recreational Site (FKRS), today revealed plans to plant grass seed in land off Main Street and turn part of the site into a nature area.

Mr Young - who said FKRS had been trying for about ten years to get a play area for Knapton - said the recreation ground and nature area would be for anyone in the village to enjoy.

He said about an acre of the site would be covered with grass while the rest of the land, about a quarter of an acre, would be set aside to be transformed into the nature area.

He said villagers were proposing to plant trees on the grassed land, as well as in the nature area, where they were also hoping to put up bird boxes.

Mr Young revealed the community was also set to use the new recreation ground, which will also be surrounded by fencing, as a venue for outdoor events such as fetes.

"I'm obviously very delighted - we've been trying for about ten years to get a play area for Knapton," he said.

"I think it'll definitely improve the vibrancy of the village, it gives us somewhere where we can all get together.

"There's nothing in the village other than a pub where people can all meet. It's a very exciting development for Knapton."

City of York councillor Ben Hudson, who represents rural west York, said: "We're pleased the facility will be made available for the village. It's been organised through an agreement with the developer which has built the houses on Main Street."

Mr Young said villagers had decided not to include play equipment in the scheme in a bid to discourage children from outside the village from using the recreation ground.

He said FKRS had raised some money towards turning the site into a play area, but he said the bulk of the money had come from City of York Council.

He said the land had become available after the authority sold a farm and began letting some of the site to the village.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "We gave the Friends of Knapton Recreational Ground a 99-year lease on the land in January last year."