Festival Gardens | Otterspool | Restored Gardens & Apartments

[Evertonian]

Originally Posted by Chris B

The following link has a collection of photos of the miniature railway that was constructed for the Garden Festival. I was very young at the time of the festival, and never realised that the railway was so extensive - 3km with four stations. Although parts of where the railway once ran have been re-developed, it's a shame little of the infrastructure remains, as once the gardens are re-opened, it would have made for quite a nice feature if it could have been re-opened too.

http://www.ratty.fotopic.net/c947539.html

Christ! Dont let John see that, he'll be calling for a cheap, easy to do train set for the park to be reinstated!

[Joe the red]

He'll definitely be a fan of its "loopiness".

[openlyJane]

Golden Gate Park in San Francisco provides, what I think, is a great example of an oriental garden. Whilst Golden Gate Park exists on a far larger and grander scale than the festival gardens site it has a Japanese garden; it can only be accessed via a turnstile and upon payment of a nominal fee. the fee pays for the upkeep and development of the garden, which is very impressive, and keeps out would be wreckers. furthermore within the garden is a Japanese tea-shop and souvenir shop, making it a real option for a longer, extended visit. What with liverpool trying to develop links with China via the Expo, and with the university's current links to the university in Shanghai, a combined Chinese/Japanese garden would/could be a great opportunity for developing further links.
I do wonder how a free-for-all site will be maintained, protected and developed.

[T0M]

Great link! Certainly brings back memories, I can distinctly remember the smell of that steam engine as it passed under the wooden bridge.

[Babaloo]

Sadly no provision was made for maintaining it after the festival ended so it ended up they way it did. I'm still not clear who is going to maintain it now and for how long and to what level of maintenance. It won't be cheap to do properly that's for sure.

[buggedboy]

The Land Restoriation Trust will maintain it, paid for initially by the NWDA money provided. Following that, the idea is for funding from the residential scheme will subsidise the LRT work on an ongoing basis.

The NWDA grant is only for a fixed period though ( I think it's five years), so once that runs out, if the residential/commercial scheme doesnt go ahead, then they'll be no funding.

[Babaloo]

So in that (worst case scenario) it would begin its slide back into the state from which it will soon emerge! I don't know why the city won't designate it as 'parkland' - properly developed and maintained this could be a leisure resource for the whole of the city not just south enders. Too many chunks of the city are sold off to developers who take forever to do something with the land they own.

[buggedboy]

They would have to CPO it, which would cost money. Although it could be done, there is no guarantee it would win, particularly when the private land owner has a plan on the table for developing much of the site and is making headway with that plan. I doubt they would actually win to be honest.

[Babaloo]

I was thinking more about the time that has elapsed since 1984 - 26 years ago! Of course, Militant saw it as a distraction - what use is a garden festival when people need homes - and acted accordingly.

Personally, I only believe headway is being made when I can see evidence of a wake!

I think this site is frequently used as a case study in how NOT to go about sustained regeneration!

[buggedboy]

just heard they go on site this Monday.

[Howie_P]

Liverpool Garden Festival site work to begin today
Feb 15 2010
by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Daily Post



THIS is the first exclusive picture of how Liverpool’s derelict Garden Festival is set to look within just 12 months.

Developer Langtree will move on to the site today, the first time work has taken place on the derelict site in 13 years.

The £3.7m restoration begins almost 26 years after the International Garden Festival first opened to huge public acclaim in 1984.

After accessing the 70 acres of land construction starts within seven days to restore the Oriental gardens, returning them to public use.

Also revamped will be the lakes and waterways, the Moon Wall will be rebuilt, two pagodas restored and the landscaping of woodland trails carried out.

A new pedestrian access will create links with Otterspool Promenade together with a new parking and public transport facilities.

It is the first work on the Garden Festival site since 1986 when 600 homes were built on the land after the hugely popular park closed.

Pleasure Island amusement park opened for a short time before closing in 1997 leaving behind a forgotten waterfront oasis.

Today, city leaders described the breakthrough as a “milestone” in a chequered history for the park which has controversially descended into neglect.

John Downes, Langtree managing director, said it was a symbolic move for the Garden Festival’s future.

And he agreed the restoration would hopefully accelerate a 1,300 apartment project which collapsed in 2008.

Mr Downes said: “We are pleased to reach a final consensus so we can move forward. It’s a tricky site, but unique in nature.

Continues >>

[buggedboy]

Great news. Getting 2/3rds of the site developed is brilliant and I really fail to see the problem with creating homes in the area. The fact that they will overlook the river is great in my opinion, not a negative, whilst the design of the homes themselves look ok.

The serial objectors to this scheme in my neighbourhood are a real sight to behold, particularly at meetings. It’s almost like they want to hold the city back because they are going to lose somewhere for their dogs to take a dump without having to clean it up.

[T0M]

Originally Posted by buggedboy

Great news. Getting 2/3rds of the site developed is brilliant and I really fail to see the problem with creating homes in the area. The fact that they will overlook the river is great in my opinion, not a negative, whilst the design of the homes themselves look ok.

The serial objectors to this scheme in my neighbourhood are a real sight to behold, particularly at meetings. It’s almost like they want to hold the city back because they are going to lose somewhere for their dogs to take a dump without having to clean it up.

Good post. Agree wholehearedtly. Getting any of this site back after so many years of dereliction will be a huge boost for the city. Now that my little lad is finally walking I've taken on a totally new appreciation of the open green space that we have in the city, especially when I think back to my favorite haunts as a child. So in addition to the restoration of Sefton Park the restoration of this area of the Garden Festival is wonderful news to me.

It's criminal that it's been unused for so long, but better late than never. I'm also excited about the prospect of the integration with the Otterspool prom, which again is one of the most underused natural resources we have in the city. The restoration work on the prom itself has been much welcomed and now that we're starting to see some real activity in the southern docks, the idea of having a walkway which extends from Otterspool, right the way to the city centre is something that we must capitalise on.

Creating further connectivity between the garden festival site and the prom is a great move and will only encourage more use and enjoyment of the prom and the river. We are, afterall, a city built on a river, and the more people can enjoy and connect with the river the better.

I agree that having houses on this site was inevitable, and I believe we're getting a good and necessary compromise. The idea that I could walk my son around the same oriental gardens that I enjoyed as a child really makes me happy.

[Paul D]

Ha ha you're thinking like me Tom,when you've got young kids you're always after somewhere pleasant to take them and that's exactly why this development appeals to me,this is truly great news and well done BB for having your finger on the pulse.

[Joe the red]

There's going to be butterfies the size of Pteradactyls by the looks of it.

[T0M]

Originally Posted by Joe the red

There's going to be butterfies the size of Pteradactyls by the looks of it.

Didn't you know? The whole 'garden festival' project was a secret government test site for a new breed of mutated genetic monster species of butterflies, a bit like Jurassic Park.. but for insects. It was closed down when a scientist was eaten alive by an 8 foot moth...

[openlyJane]

I suspect that it may just be me - though it is definitely not a figment of my imagination, but has anyone else seen the naked cyclist on Otterspool prom?
I first encountered him at the back end of last summer, coming down through the passage that leads through the festival site to the prom - completely naked except for a small rucksak. YThe next time I encountered him was in the autumn when it was considerably colder - this time wearing a wooly hat and a jumper, but alas had forgotten his pants again. It isn't any of you is it? In his late 30s/40s, pleasant face and fit body?

[Villiers Terrace]

Originally Posted by Howie_P

Continues >>

The render here really is the future innit, lads?

The elderly, ugly and infirm have been abolished, and everyone gets their threads from Uniqlo.

Yusss!

[Joe the red]

Originally Posted by openlyJane

I suspect that it may just be me - though it is definitely not a figment of my imagination, but has anyone else seen the naked cyclist on Otterspool prom?
I first encountered him at the back end of last summer, coming down through the passage that leads through the festival site to the prom - completely naked except for a small rucksak. YThe next time I encountered him was in the autumn when it was considerably colder - this time wearing a wooly hat and a jumper, but alas had forgotten his pants again. It isn't any of you is it? In his late 30s/40s, pleasant face and fit body?

Bugged has taken an unhealthy level of interest in this development.

I'm just saying, like.

[buggedboy]

I was wondering how many times I had to do that route before I was noticed.

That chaffing is killing me.