To Langtree, Wpc Associates and Liverpool City Council
Could you please let us know why there has been further tree felling in Priory Wood, again without any warning or cnsultation? As a Conservation Area the Public do have a right to be informed well in advance of any intended treeworks. Notices should have been erected and the Friends group and local resident groups consulted. This has been repeatedly mentioned but is still ignored.
Could you let us know why the treeworks were undertaken, who by and if there is any intention of fulfilling your legal obligation to consult the public in future?
Lucy Page
Chair,

The reply from the council’s tree officer, Michael Anders.

I am aware of this. As you are probably aware trees which are dangerous
are exempt from the application process and therefore there is no
consultation. This is due to the necessity to make such trees safe
without delay. The agent (Planit) provided sufficient prior notification
that they were planning to take certain trees out, I went out to inspect
these to ensure they were of sufficiently poor condition to warrant
immediate removal.

There are 6 trees to be removed (2 Sycamore, 2 Holly and 2 White
Poplars. Also one Sycamore with an unstable crown is to be reduced to
make it safe.

The replanting is to be carried out on a three for one ratio. The stock
size are to be whips 100 to 125 cm in height as per BS 3936 part 1 1992
(Nursery Stock). The species is to be a combination of Hazel,
Blackthorn, Crab Apple and Oak and is to be planted in any suitable
position within the wood where there is sufficient space for them to
successfully establish. This planting must be carried out before the end
of March 2012.

Further background info can be found on http://www.ourground.net/

Groundwork Merseyside were the managing agent for the site “responsible for developing the public use of the site and working with The Land Trust in engaging the community to make the site a success”

Groundwork Merseyside

It is with enormous regret that the Board of Trustees of Groundwork Merseyside has to announce that it is appointing insolvency practitioners from PKF (UK) LLP with immediate effect. Groundwork Merseyside employed 30 people most of whom will lose their jobs immediately. The funding landscape for charitable organisations has changed beyond recognition in the past 18 months and it has become impossible for Groundwork Merseyside to continue trading. Groundwork Merseyside is part of the Federation of Groundwork Trusts and it is hoped that the charitable work taking place in communities around Merseyside will continue but will be managed by neighbouring Groundwork offices across the north west region.

GROUNDWORK MERSEYSIDE LIMITED (“THE COMPANY”)

IAN GOULD AND JONATHAN NEWELL OF PKF (UK) LLP WERE APPOINTED JOINT ADMINISTRATORS OF THE COMPANY ON 30 JANUARY 2012 AND AS SUCH THE AFFAIRS, BUSINESS & PROPERTY OF THE COMPANY ARE BEING MANAGED BY THEM. PARTNERS AND STAFF OF PKF (UK) LLP ACTING AS ADMINISTRATORS CONTRACT WITHOUT PERSONAL LIABILITY.

Press Statement by Langtree 1st February 2012

The opening of Liverpool’s Festival Gardens remains on schedule despite the news that Groundwork Merseyside has gone into administration.

Groundwork Merseyside had been appointed by the Land Trust to undertake the day to day management of the site when it opens later this year.

Euan Hall, chief executive of the Land Trust, commented, “Whilst it is desperately sad to see yet another organisation fall foul of our current economic climate, it is still our intention to open the gardens as soon as practical completion has been achieved.

We are reviewing alternative management options currently, but we must stress that this will not affect the scheme in any way and we still remain committed to ensuring that Festival Gardens becomes the iconic site that the people of Liverpool deserve.”

Ends

FESTIVAL GARDENS WORK TO BE COMPLETED IN THE NEW YEAR
Survey reveals issues caused by contractor’s collapse

The multi-million pound restoration of Liverpool’s Festival Gardens will now be completed in the new year.

Work on the 90-acre venue was delayed by the collapse of main contractor, Mayfield Construction, leaving developer Langtree to source a replacement contractor to finalise the project.

As Tolent has sought to complete the works, they have revealed a series of quality and design issues, causing Langtree to instruct further remedial work.

“A precautionary survey of all Mayfield’s works revealed that some of it just isn’t up to the required design standards and the contractual terms that we agreed,” said Langtree managing director John Downes.

“There are some sub-standard works that are not acceptable. We’ll only open the Festival Park to the people of Liverpool when I can be totally satisfied with the result. If that means taking more time then we apologise but it’s better to be right first off – and I hope that people will agree with that approach and bear with us,” said Mr Downes.

“The survey findings point to a business that was in distress. You don’t cut corners like that unless your eyes are off the ball or you’ve got other issues. No single issue is particularly complex, but there are a few of them so it’ll take a bit of time to put them all right. We had our own team on site monitoring the works as they went along but what we’ve uncovered wouldn’t have been apparent at the time.”

Tolent Construction is tasked with undertaking the remedial work and completing those aspects of the site’s refurbishment that hadn’t been finished at the time of Mayfield’s demise.

Once works are complete, a period of commissioning will commence to ensure that the site is suited to the daily use of being a public park. Long term management of the site will be delivered by the Land Trust working in association with Groundwork Merseyside.

John Downes added: “Commissioning work will ensure that the gardens not only look great, but are also robust enough for the people of the city to use on a daily basis for many years to come.

“A key part of that process will be a series of ramp-up events, organised in conjunction with the The Land Trust, to give local residents, schoolchildren and other members of the community a chance to sample the gardens for themselves.

“After so long in the wilderness, the gardens are nearly there, but it’s important that we take enough time to get them absolutely right before their public debut.”

Originally conceived as the centre-piece of Liverpool’s early regeneration efforts, the site was home to the International Garden Festival for five months in 1984, but a series of failed ownership changes saw it fall into significant disrepair during the following 27 years.

The second phase of the project will see Langtree work with residential developers in bringing forward up to 1,374 new homes on 25 acres located on the area of the former Festival Hall dome.

John Downes, managing director of Langtree has said:

“… we remain on course to achieve practical completion of our works by the end of November.”

“Once development is completed, management of the site will pass to the Land Trust and a date for the formal opening will be announced.”

Alan Carter, from The Land Trust, said: “Following practical completion anticipated at the end of November and site hand over, the Land Trust will undertake a period of commissioning [testing] on the run up to a formal opening of the gardens.”

“We, alongside our managing agents Groundwork Merseyside, hope to involve the local community, who will be invited to visit the site within the commissioning period and we would ask any interested parties to keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further details.”

Also an image showing how the proposed residential element of the development will look.

All photos copyright Virtual Planit.
full size 1
full size 2

Full story:

Place Northwest

Full Story

Mayfield Construction has gone into administration with most of the staff being made redundant.

Working on behalf of site owner Langtree, Mayfield was the main contractor on the refurbishment of the park.

Following the announcement, Langtree has said that the gardens’ opening will need to be put back from July to mid-September as it searches for a replacement contractor to complete Mayfield’s contract.

John Downes, Langtrees Managing Director said “I know from personal experience how keen people are to see the new gardens and it is frustrating that they will have to wait a little longer. However, I can assure you that it will be worth the wait.”

Downes added that emergency ground maintenance staff are being drafted in by Langtree on a temporary basis to tend to the newly laid lawns and flower beds until a new contractor is identified.

Downes said: “On the plus side, when we re-open everything will have had a little longer to bed in and mature and the gardens will look even more spectacular.”

http://www.myliverpoolforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5680

Downes said interest from potential house buyers had encouraged the developer to start marketing the residential element of the site in the coming weeks.

“Work could start on site later this year or early next year but certainly within a year of today there will be construction here of the first residential phase,” Downes said.

Full story here

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk

The following quote from the official website has now been removed because it was “incorrectly added”. The official line is again that “At present, we
still don’t have an opening date.”

During Love Parks Week on Saturday 23 July, the gardens – which were abandoned over 25 years ago – will once again open to a delighted public, bringing the story full circle.

Festival Gardens story
Granada Reports video report
PlaceNorthWest report and photos
Liverpool Echo report with photos and videos
Lord Heseltine returns to ‘wonderful’ Liverpool Garden festival site

Thanks to buggedboy on skyscrapercity.com for these photos.