LIVERPOOL Festival Gardens held an invitation-only event today to mark the completion of work on the much-delayed site.

Local residents were given a sneak preview of the revamped 90-acre Otterspool site ahead of its full public opening, due in the next few weeks.

A £4.5m restoration project has been carried out at the former venue of the 1984 International Garden Festival, after many years of neglect and decay.

But progress has been painfully slow because of a series of crises, including the collapse of both the main contractor, Mayfield Construction, and the firm tasked with managing the site, Groundwork Merseyside.

This set back the original opening date by more than a year.

Owners Langtree are now holding a series of “ramp-up” events to mark the completion of work and prepare the site for full public use.

The first and largest of these was an open day for residents living near to the Riverside Drive site, culminating in a firework display.

Liverpool council leader Joe Anderson joined Langtree Development Director Stephen Barnes to welcome guests to today’s event.

Mr Barnes said: “It’s been a long road, with plenty of potholes along the way, but we are pleased and proud to say that we have now completed work on Festival Gardens.

“We felt it was important to mark the occasion properly and thank our neighbours for their consistent support and patience throughout the project. Each and every guest seemed genuinely impressed with what we’ve achieved, which is crucial as this park will be their legacy.

“This event was also essential to help us stress-test our work and ensure the park is robust enough for the people of the city to use for years to come.

“We have appointed the Land Trust to manage the site for us and there will be various other small events in the coming weeks to soft test the facilities before we fully open the park.

“We should see Festival Gardens open to the public in a matter of weeks.”

Originally conceived as the centrepiece 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 creating up to 1,374 new homes on 25 acres in the park on the area of the former Festival Hall dome.

Tickets were provided to local residents.

This wasn’t an opening event rather a celebration of the completion of the work. There were fireworks at the end of the day.

There is still no date set for opening to the general public.

Just got back. I took a lot of photos. Here are a few of them. I’ll put some more up later on.

It’s amazing. Really impressive. I was going to photograph the bad as well as the good but I honestly didn’t see anything bad to photograph.

What makes it special is the time of the year. So much colour and variety. Lots of well established trees as well. And it’s not just pretty flowers, there are overgrown sections as well with stinging nettles etc. Not in a bad way though. It is just great. Like being out in the country.

Very happy.

Also went to see the fireworks. Wow. Wish I’d taken my camera but couldn’t face the hassle. It’s too hard photographing fireworks.

But how are they progressing around Riverside Drive.

A quick survey on 1 Apr 2012 shows that the following are ready and active
Have a look here to find out more about the roll out in general

Ellerman Road L3 4FF
Alder Way L3 4FX
Beech Avenue L17 7EN
Priory Close L17 7EG
Moel Famau View L17 7ET
Bempton Road L17 5DB
Penhale Close L17 5BT
Rosewarne Close L17 5BX
Kerris Close L17 5BY
Savoylands Close L17 5BR
Calvados Close L17 5DE
Burgundy Close L17 5DD
Claret Close L17 5DF
Hythedale Close L17 5BS
Barchester Drive L17 5BZ
Westbury Close L17 5BD

with the rest on the waiting list. The current expected date for these is 30 June 2012.

Promenade Gardens L17 7EU
The Bulrushes L17 7EX
Orchid Grove L17 7EY
Floral Wood L17 7HR
Cottonwood L17 7ES
Thistledown Close L17 7ER
Thorntree Close L17 7EP
Westward View L17 7EE
Eastwood L17 7ED
Jasmine Mews L17 7EW
Gardenia Grove L17 7HP
Camelia Court L17 7HW

How does it work

There is a good explanation of the technolgy on the Openreach site

It’s not feasable to replace the whole of the existing copper network with Fibre optic cables so the most likely way you will get your superfast broadband will be via Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC). A part-fibre, part-copper solution, capable of delivering download speeds of up to 40Mbit/s and upload speeds of up to 15Mbit/s right away with 80/20 Mbit/s available from Spring 2012.

With FTTC, they overlay fibre on the copper infrastructure running from an exchange to cabinets in the street. Copper will still be the final link (i.e. from the cabinet to your home or business).

Which provider

You don’t have to go with BT though. As usual there are plenty of companies looking for your custom and its not easy to say which is the best. It really depends on your specific circumstances and what you are looking for. As well as broadband you can also get other services like phone and tv through your connection.

Just search for “compare fibre broadband” or something similar to see the many options available.

Virgin Media don’t offer fibre optic cable in the Riverside Drive area

From April 12th, 2012 Sky are introducing Sky Broadband Unlimited Fibre to people who live in a fibre network area. I haven’t checked if Riverside Drive is such an area. If anyone has further information I’d be interested to hear from you.

Also a good video here

Article by Liverpool Daily Post

A higher resolution copy of the photos is available here (3.6M).

All photos copyright Active Adventures.

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

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