16 February 2010
Restoration of Liverpool’s Festival Gardens about to
begin!
The £3.7m restoration of Liverpool’s International Garden
Festival site is finally set to begin almost 26 years after the
event first opened to the public.
Over the past few years, the landowner – property investment and
development company Langtree – has pieced together a partnership of
organisations which will fund, oversee, deliver and provide for the
future management of the formal gardens and return them to public
use.
The works, funded by a £3.7m grant from the Northwest Regional
Development Agency (NWDA), represents a major step in the
regeneration of the site into an outstanding riverside residential
community and waterfront park.
The scheme has been designed by urban designers and landscape
architects Planit who have also been involved in the restoration of
Stanley Park in Liverpool.
The work is expected to take 12 months and Langtree hopes to
encourage local community groups to be fully engaged in restoring
the gardens to their original splendour.
Key to the success of the scheme was providing suitable
long-term management of the new park and Langtree is delighted that
they have been able to attract the Land Restoration Trust into the
Partnership, a national not-for-profit organisation specifically
established to own and manage large scale public park assets, who
will assume responsibility for the gardens on completion.
Key aspects of the garden’s restoration include:
The restoration of two pagodas in the oriental gardens
Restoration of the Moon Wall
Restoration of lakes and waterways
A new pedestrian access point created links the
promenade
New secure car parking and public transport
facilities
Ongoing management of the gardens
The restoration works will begin with the clearance of
undergrowth which has left many original pathways buried and
un-passable. Pedestrian routes will be widened and
reappointed to ensure they meet modern standards.
Langtree managing director John Downes said: “All the Partners
in the scheme, Liverpool City Council, the Land Restoration Trust,
the North West Development Agency and the local community deserve
enormous credit for their involvement in finally making this scheme
a reality, but in many ways the real work starts here. The
creation of the park and the new residential community will finally
deliver a long term sustainable scheme for this strategic site on a
major gateway in to the City.”
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: “The start
of work to restore the international garden festival site is a
significant step forward in spearheading the regeneration of this
area of Liverpool and creating the conditions for significant
future private sector investment on the adjacent site. I am
delighted that the Agency’s £3.7 million investment will help to
bring this site back to life, creating a visitor attraction of
international significance that will further boost the
city-region’s growing visitor economy, as well as providing a
important leisure resource that will enhance quality of life for
local residents.
“Today’s milestone is the culmination of strong
partnership working between the Agency, Langtree, the Land
Restoration Trust and Liverpool City Council to bring this
restoration to fruition and secure the long-term future of this
important site for many generations to come.”
Land Restoration Trust chief executive Euan Hall said: “Once
completed, the new park will be a magnificent asset for the local
community. However the most important thing about the restoration
is that this time we will be able to ensure that the park can be
managed for the benefit of the local community not just now but for
many future generations.”
Leader of Liverpool City Council Councillor Warren Bradley said:
“This is a milestone in a key site for the city and many people
have been looking forward to the restoration of these gardens. This
is an area which should be a real asset to the city and one we
should be proud of, so we are delighted this work is starting.”
The International Garden Festive took place between May and
October in 1984 and attracted 3.8 million visitors.
The festival was the centrepiece of the city’s early
regeneration efforts following industrial decline in the preceding
decade. Much of the original site was developed into
residential housing once the festival had ended but a long-term use
for a large section of the site was never identified despite a
number of attempts.
It is anticipated that the Festival Gardens will open to the
public in Spring 2011.
ENDS
For more media information please contact Steve Sanders or Jade
Mallia at Paver Smith on:
Steve Sanders Jade Mallia
Tel: 0161 214 7999 0151
239 5000
Mobile: 07827 892 671 07967 627
981
Email: sanders@paversmith.co.uk
mallia@paversmith.co.uk