Landfill parkland will be eco-haven, says council
A redeveloped parkland on the banks of the River Mersey will be an "eco-haven" and "benefit coastal bio-diversity for decades to come", Liverpool City Council has said. Southern Grasslands, on Riverside Drive, has been created using recycled soil to prepare part of the Festival Gardens site for housing. Trees and shrubs have been planted at the park, also built on landfill. Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins said the move was "the ultimate win-win". "Repurposing the soil from a former landfill site to create an eco-haven is a story wildlife campaigners dream of," she said. She said the site, which formed part of the Liverpool International Garden Festival Site in 1984, was the largest transformed green space to open in the city this century and is almost five times as big as Chavasse Park in Liverpool One. "The opening of the Southern Grasslands is a watershed moment in both the story of our famous Festival Gardens site and in Liverpool's journey to tackle climate change," she said. "It's creation marks the end of a truly monumental two-year long process to excavate the nearby development zone - and is testament to how nature and wildlife can benefit from development when we put our minds to it." The re-landscaped green space, which now rises by more than nine metres (30ft) high provides views of the city centre and across the River Mersey to North Wales, and features more than 5,700 new trees and shrubs as well as 2km of walking paths. The site, which was home to the Liverpool International Garden Festival in 1984, was bought by the council in 2015 and is split into three zones: The 90-acre site had been derelict since 1997 and part of the gardens, features such as Chinese pagodas, Japanese gardens and water features, were reopened in 2012 after after a 4.5m redevelopment. Work to prepare 22 acres of the city's Development Zone for housing has seen over 400,000 cubic metres of soil and waste removed from the site which was as a waste deposit facility for over 30 years. As these works near completion the council said would be seeking to appoint a development partner in Spring 2024. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram ? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk Cash boost to bring gardens 'back to life' Festival gardens bought by council Garden festival pagoda to be dismantled Festival Gardens opens to public Spring opening for festival site Murderer, 700,000 cocaine courier and sex offending father and son jailed M6, M53, M56 and M57 motorway closures starting September 11 Motorcyclist dies after serious crash on major road in Bebington Police close off major road after reports of a serious crash Charles Dickens performed at the Royal Court in Rylands Street Haunted Wirral: Two timeslip tales Morocco rescuers dig with bare hands as foreign aid sent US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit 'Everyone in this village is either dead or missing' A Serbian scientist's long quest to name Srebrenica's dead How chronic pain feels for me. Video How chronic pain feels for me Guyana scrambles to make the most of oil wealth The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans. Video The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans Inside a 'hijacked' South African building. Video Inside a 'hijacked' South African building The rise and fall of a parenting influencer Florida's first hurricane-proof town The greatest spy novel ever written? Why is everyone crazy about Aperol? 2023 BBC.