Festival Gardens | Otterspool | Restored Gardens & Apartments - Page 4

Babaloo · August 25th, 2009, 10:51 AM

You can tell that the people who write for TMNW newspapers aren't from Liverpool - Otterspool attraction indeed. Unless, of course, 'Otterspool' now includes Fulwood Park and St Michael's - you never know.

On a brighter note, anything that tidies this place up has to be a positive.

Good news

Chris B · August 25th, 2009, 10:51 AM

When the housing market started to collapse, followed by David McClean, I became rather resigned to the fact that the Garden Festival site would remain derelict for several more years yet. Although not giving a specific timescale, the above article does hint that work will start on the restoration element sooner rather than later, so this is really positive news.

kat2 · August 25th, 2009, 08:28 PM

it will be interesting to see how this pans out, during interviews on the news today lots of people wanted the site open for nothing? whos going to pay for the upkeep of the garden festival site? dont you think its a bad idea to build the park first then the housing later? wont it be open to vandalism if they do it this way around?
look at how many theme parks have closed I dont think this has really been thought through.
kat

buggedboy · August 25th, 2009, 08:57 PM

The housing will pay for it in the long term I guess, but the first 5 years of its life will be paid for by the moneys already mentioned.

HollyBlack · August 25th, 2009, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kat2

...wont it be open to vandalism if they do it this way around? ... kat

That was my thought too.

Well perhaps a volunteer organisation will spring up to patrol the place and summon the cops when something untoward is spotted. And maybe these days it is cheap to install surveillance hardware as part of a renovation.

Chris B · August 25th, 2009, 11:23 PM

I'm not sure how the Garden Festival site would be any more susceptible to vandalism of its features than any other park and garden in the city is. Indeed, depending on whether they keep the perimeter fence, it may remain possible to secure the grounds after hours, adding a means of protection few other parks and gardens in the city have.

Evertonian · August 25th, 2009, 11:26 PM

Build a little hut for Purple Aki down there and have him as caretaker. The kids would soon leave the place alone!

boychild · August 25th, 2009, 11:34 PM

[QUOTE=Chris B;41823390]I'm not sure how the Garden Festival site would be any more susceptible to vandalism of its features than any other park and garden in the city is QUOTE]

Exactly!

Ged · August 25th, 2009, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris B

I'm not sure how the Garden Festival site would be any more susceptible to vandalism of its features than any other park and garden in the city is. Indeed, depending on whether they keep the perimeter fence, it may remain possible to secure the grounds after hours, adding a means of protection few other parks and gardens in the city have.

Its Liverpool though mate..dont spoil the Image Chris of little tearaways ruining it for the outsiders...

Babaloo · August 26th, 2009, 09:26 AM

Sefton Park palm house (a much weightier asset than anything that will be seen in the former festival gardens) seems to have survived OK since it reopened despite all the doom and gloom about how long it would last beforehand - so I suspect that some people are overstating the problem with vandalism in the city. Vandalism is a problem in specific areas within the city - it's not a significant problem citywide.

jetsetwilly · August 26th, 2009, 03:39 PM

I would say it's in the developer's interests to keep the new park in good condition and crime free. If it became notorious for any reason, it wouldn't be as attractive when they got round to building the residences. This way, they'll have a relatively mature leisure facility right on the doorstep of their new development.

Once they've built the flats and buggered off, that's when you'll get the problems

Tony Sebo · August 26th, 2009, 10:28 PM

why?

SuperLamb · September 5th, 2009, 12:23 AM

I think this area doesn't need more housing and

Rock Savage · September 5th, 2009, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperLamb

I think this area doesn't need more housing and

......... sorry to leave my sentence unfinished but I have a rather urgent call of nature to attend to and sqeeze one of these ....

.... out!

SuperLamb · September 6th, 2009, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Savage

......... sorry to leave my sentence unfinished but I have a rather urgent call of nature to attend to and sqeeze one of these ....

.... out!

You must be psychic! I guess I need a new body and to buy a T-shirt saying "No Hope for a new Tesco" or something more catchy

Paul D · September 21st, 2009, 08:29 PM

Festival garden revamp to start

Work to restore the formal gardens at the International Garden Festival site is expected to start in November, Liverpool City Council said.

The site, on the banks of the River Mersey, has been derelict for 25 years.

The council's executive board gave the go-ahead to developers Langtree to carry out the work, which should see the gardens reopened in a year.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency has offered a £2.1m grant to Langtree for restoration work.

However, in order to accept the grant changes in a development agreement between the city council and the developers had to be agreed. This included deferring a dowry, to cover maintenance costs, from Langtree for five years.

In addition to the development agency cash, the firm is also under consideration for a further £1.6m from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Council leader Warren Bradley said the gardens "should be something the city is proud of and a real asset to the community".

He added: "We want to make sure that, having secured public funding for the site, that no obstacles are put in the way of the restoration of the green spaces so we were happy to make the necessary amendments to our development agreement."

The areas which will be restored include the Chinese and Japanese gardens, lakes and associated watercourses and the woodland sculpture trails.

The Land Restoration Trust will be responsible for the management and maintenance of the park once the works are completed.

Plans for the £250m redevelopment, which also includes more than 1,300 homes, were approved after a public inquiry last year.

The 1984 International Garden Festival was billed as a "five-month pageant of horticultural excellence and spectacular entertainment".

But after the festival was over, the site changed hands a number of times and fell into disrepair.

Babaloo · September 22nd, 2009, 10:35 AM

November 2009, right?

I'll be watching this one for any slippage!

eyeam · September 22nd, 2009, 08:10 PM

I was hoping the delay would result in a redesign. Oh well.

Babaloo · September 23rd, 2009, 10:05 AM

Only the gardens are being restored. There aren't any plans to start building anything in the forseeable future as far as I'm aware. If anything is ever built I doubt it will look like the original plans for this site - thank God.

Evertonian · September 23rd, 2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babaloo

Only the gardens are being restored. There aren't any plans to start building anything in the forseeable future as far as I'm aware. If anything is ever built I doubt it will look like the original plans for this site - thank God.

Perfect site for as stadium and a precident set with Stanley Park.

; )

August 25th, 2009, 10:51 AM	#62
Chris B Liverpool - Est. 1207 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Liverpool - Unique Redefined Posts: 7,538 Likes (Received): 151	When the housing market started to collapse, followed by David McClean, I became rather resigned to the fact that the Garden Festival site would remain derelict for several more years yet. Although not giving a specific timescale, the above article does hint that work will start on the restoration element sooner rather than later, so this is really positive news. __________________ Liverpool - Unique Redefined

August 25th, 2009, 08:28 PM	#63
kat2 miss Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wirral Posts: 1,773 Likes (Received): 9	it will be interesting to see how this pans out, during interviews on the news today lots of people wanted the site open for nothing? whos going to pay for the upkeep of the garden festival site? dont you think its a bad idea to build the park first then the housing later? wont it be open to vandalism if they do it this way around? look at how many theme parks have closed I dont think this has really been thought through. kat __________________ http://soul-nb.org.uk/

August 25th, 2009, 11:23 PM	#66
Chris B Liverpool - Est. 1207 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Liverpool - Unique Redefined Posts: 7,538 Likes (Received): 151	I'm not sure how the Garden Festival site would be any more susceptible to vandalism of its features than any other park and garden in the city is. Indeed, depending on whether they keep the perimeter fence, it may remain possible to secure the grounds after hours, adding a means of protection few other parks and gardens in the city have. __________________ Liverpool - Unique Redefined

August 26th, 2009, 03:39 PM	#71
jetsetwilly Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 269 Likes (Received): 2	I would say it's in the developer's interests to keep the new park in good condition and crime free. If it became notorious for any reason, it wouldn't be as attractive when they got round to building the residences. This way, they'll have a relatively mature leisure facility right on the doorstep of their new development. Once they've built the flats and buggered off, that's when you'll get the problems __________________ Capturing Northern Rail, one station at a time.

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August 25th, 2009, 10:51 AM	#61
Babaloo Fiat Lux Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,598 Likes (Received): 0	You can tell that the people who write for TMNW newspapers aren't from Liverpool - Otterspool attraction indeed. Unless, of course, 'Otterspool' now includes Fulwood Park and St Michael's - you never know. On a brighter note, anything that tidies this place up has to be a positive. Good news

August 25th, 2009, 08:57 PM	#64
buggedboy Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,442 Likes (Received): 190	The housing will pay for it in the long term I guess, but the first 5 years of its life will be paid for by the moneys already mentioned.

August 25th, 2009, 11:26 PM	#67
Evertonian BANNED Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,319 Likes (Received): 0	Build a little hut for Purple Aki down there and have him as caretaker. The kids would soon leave the place alone!

August 25th, 2009, 11:34 PM	#68
boychild Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Liverpool Posts: 123 Likes (Received): 1	[QUOTE=Chris B;41823390]I'm not sure how the Garden Festival site would be any more susceptible to vandalism of its features than any other park and garden in the city is QUOTE] Exactly!

August 26th, 2009, 09:26 AM	#70
Babaloo Fiat Lux Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,598 Likes (Received): 0	Sefton Park palm house (a much weightier asset than anything that will be seen in the former festival gardens) seems to have survived OK since it reopened despite all the doom and gloom about how long it would last beforehand - so I suspect that some people are overstating the problem with vandalism in the city. Vandalism is a problem in specific areas within the city - it's not a significant problem citywide.

August 26th, 2009, 10:28 PM	#72
Tony Sebo BANNED Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Liverpool Posts: 18,253 Likes (Received): 4	why?

September 5th, 2009, 12:23 AM	#73
SuperLamb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 183 Likes (Received): 0	I think this area doesn't need more housing and

September 21st, 2009, 08:29 PM	#76
Paul D Phatang Phatang Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Liverpool Posts: 11,789 Likes (Received): 416	Festival garden revamp to start Work to restore the formal gardens at the International Garden Festival site is expected to start in November, Liverpool City Council said. The site, on the banks of the River Mersey, has been derelict for 25 years. The council's executive board gave the go-ahead to developers Langtree to carry out the work, which should see the gardens reopened in a year. The Northwest Regional Development Agency has offered a £2.1m grant to Langtree for restoration work. However, in order to accept the grant changes in a development agreement between the city council and the developers had to be agreed. This included deferring a dowry, to cover maintenance costs, from Langtree for five years. In addition to the development agency cash, the firm is also under consideration for a further £1.6m from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Council leader Warren Bradley said the gardens "should be something the city is proud of and a real asset to the community". He added: "We want to make sure that, having secured public funding for the site, that no obstacles are put in the way of the restoration of the green spaces so we were happy to make the necessary amendments to our development agreement." The areas which will be restored include the Chinese and Japanese gardens, lakes and associated watercourses and the woodland sculpture trails. The Land Restoration Trust will be responsible for the management and maintenance of the park once the works are completed. Plans for the £250m redevelopment, which also includes more than 1,300 homes, were approved after a public inquiry last year. The 1984 International Garden Festival was billed as a "five-month pageant of horticultural excellence and spectacular entertainment". But after the festival was over, the site changed hands a number of times and fell into disrepair.

September 22nd, 2009, 10:35 AM	#77
Babaloo Fiat Lux Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,598 Likes (Received): 0	November 2009, right? I'll be watching this one for any slippage!

September 22nd, 2009, 08:10 PM	#78
eyeam Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Liverpool Posts: 1,168 Likes (Received): 4	I was hoping the delay would result in a redesign. Oh well.

September 23rd, 2009, 10:05 AM	#79
Babaloo Fiat Lux Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,598 Likes (Received): 0	Only the gardens are being restored. There aren't any plans to start building anything in the forseeable future as far as I'm aware. If anything is ever built I doubt it will look like the original plans for this site - thank God.