Member Article

Consultation over plans to transform Everton Park into visitor attraction

Plans to transform Everton Park into a major visitor destination will be shared and discussed at a stakeholder event this week.

The City Council, Liverpool Vision and Liverpool CCG have been working with a range of different organisations in the area, including the Friends of Everton Park, Liverpool Biennial and more recently the Land Trust and Landlife, to draw up a series of exciting proposals.

The plans include a Sky Pier visitor centre, gallery event space and café with views across the city and the River Mersey – a Wheels Park, for BMX and Skateboarding designed by international artist Koo Jeong A– as well as general improvements to the park delivered by the Land Trust and supported by the Friends Group and other agencies.

A series of walks – Five Pathways – will be created focused around the themes of food, art, lookout, activity and history which will host regular events to attract people into the park to build on the work of the Friends of Everton Park.

In May, the Council’s Cabinet agreed to proposals to hand the park over to the independent land management charity The Land Trust on a long term lease. The Land Trust will manage and maintain the park on a long term basis and seek additional funding for restoration.

The Land Trust has also secured a grant from Rethinking Parks to develop new ways to address the needs of the park and the local community.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “This is a visionary and exciting scheme which will transform Everton Park into a must visit destination in Liverpool.

“This is a project which has been led by the local community in partnership with the city council and other organisations.

The Land Trust’s Director of Operations, Matthew Bradbury, added: “It’s their passion and ideas that have resulted in a set of ambitious but wholly achievable proposals which we are committed to helping deliver.

“We’re so excited to be involved with such an interesting park and to be working with all the fantastic partners and community members.

“We’re pleased to support the plans and help drive forward the further improvements to the park and secure it for generations to come. We look forward to what promises to be a productive stakeholders’ meeting.”

The stakeholder event, on Thursday 9 October at Faith Primary School, Edwin Street, Everton, will mark the new role of the Land Trust and will feature presentations on the Wheels Park, Landlife’s Grow Wild project and an update on Sky Pier.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .