£6million upgrade unveils Sefton Park pond's hidden secrets

Mar 18 2008

YEARS of debris have been un- covered in the lake of one of Liverpool’s most popular parks as it undergoes a £6m upgrade.

Workers have started draining Sefton Park’s lake in order to carry out restoration work.

Swan mussels, some the size of a mobile phone, and 10 species of fish have been moved to Calderstone Park while the work is carried out.

Stone sides of the lake are being repaired, and a new kiosk is being created. The old jetty is being demolished and a new one rebuilt

Liverpool Council will not be offering a boating service once the lake reopens, but there will be potential for a boating business to use the new jetty.

The Aviary Cafe will be repaired and enlarged to create a central feature and make space for a community meeting room and ranger base.

The silt from the top of the lake has been dried and re-used as soil elsewhere in the park.

The water levels have been lowered to allow for mainten- ance work, but ecologists have asked for some water to remain in the middle of the lake.

The fish have already been moved and will not return until next spring, to allow time for the pond to return to a habitable environment.

The project is being monitored by the Environment Agency, and the health of the fish will be monitored.

Tom Duckworth, park manager, said: “There has been some disruption but there are also long term benefits.

“It’s a very complicated project, but it is going to plan.”

Work on the trees was finished a month before schedule after the weather conditions meant the birds returned earlier than the ecologists had expected.

The £6m regeneration of Sefton Park began in January and includes building a play area and repairs to the various buildings in the 200-acre park.

Specialist restoration of the monuments is being done by expert William Anelay.

A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will cover 75% of the cost, and Liverpool City Council will pay for the rest.

The park’s famous grade II listed Palm House, which was also refurbished in 2001 with Heritage Lottery cash, will remain open while the park upgrade takes place.

Fishing in Sefton Lake is prohibited until the work is finished and the park will remain open to the public, 24 hours a day.