THE development of a new play village at one of Northumberland's largest visitor attractions has been received a £5m boost from the Government.

Northern Powerhouse Minsiter Jake Berry announced on Monday that £5m will be made available for work to introduce the Lilidorei Play Village at Alnwick Garden, with construction due to start later this year.

It was confirmed the project will be the first to be delivered through the Borderlands Growth Deal.

The £5m funding is dependent on the Lilidorei Project raising private investment and will support the creation of the year-round visitor attraction which will include one of the world’s largest play structures.

The project is expected to attract 169,000 new tourists a year once complete, boosting the local economy and creating 57 new full-time jobs.

Mr Berry said: “Our £5m investment in the Lilidorei Play Village demonstrates this Government’s commitment to levelling up every part of the country so everyone has their fair share of the UK’s future prosperity.

“This funding will make the renowned Alnwick Garden a multi-day tourist destination, create vital new jobs in the area and boost economic growth across the region.

“I’m delighted to see first-hand the progress the project team have made to turn these local proposals into a reality for people in the North East and look forward to construction getting underway later this year.”

Mr Berry reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the project during a visit to Alnwick Garden where he met with local leaders and the director of the Alnwick Garden Trust, Mark Brassell.

He was given a tour of the project site and shown the charity’s detailed plans to convert several acres of the existing gardens into the Lilidorei Play Village.