This is our third update about the Alexandra Park Project which aims to regenerate and rejuvenate our historic park.
The three ponds in the lower park area of Alexandra Park have all been drained, and the next stage in the project will be to clear the silt out of them.
The ponds have not been dredged for at least 130 years and there is a massive amount of silt to be moved. How to get rid of the silt has been a difficult question and a number of options have been explored, including dumping the silt elsewhere. To dump it elsewhere would have proved costly and because the silt is regarded as waste, a license required to move the material off site. The Environment Agency were consulted and would not give permission to move the silt off site. So the answer is a green one - recycle it!
The silt will be moved during early summer and will be used to improve the lawn below the bandstand.
The silt has to be dried and the only time of year to do that is during the summer. There is also huge amounts of it - it is waist high in most of the ponds.
1. The grass on the middle lawn, just below the bandstand will be sprayed to kill it and then left for two to three weeks. About 150mm of the top soil will be pushed back to the perimeters and firmed into a bank around the entire lawn. There will also be a protective fence erected around the site.
2. The remaining soil will be broken up so that when the silt is laid down, it can drain more efficiently.
3. The silt will be dug up from the ponds and taken to the middle lawn by small dumper trucks. It will be laid out at a thickness of 450mm and left for 4-6 weeks to make sure it is thoroughly dry. Experts working on the project estimate that the silt will shrink by around 300mm!
4. During the late summer organic material/compost will be mixed in with the silt very thoroughly to make sure that it is aerated as everything which grows in soil needs oxygen to aid its growth. The mixture will then be left for around two weeks.
5. Then a very thin fleece like material will be laid over the top of the silt and compost mixture to prevent anything in it moving upwards.
6. Soil will be laid over the top and levelled - the new lawn will be flat and 100mm higher than it is now!
7. The whole area will then be sown and the new and improved lawn will be ready for use in the spring.
The ponds will also be undergoing a facelift. The amount of silt in the ponds meant that fish and other organisms in the pond were not getting enough oxygen and the growth of fish had been stunted. Now the ponds will be clean and a much better environment. The additional capacity of the ponds should in theory help them cope with excesses of rainfall, minimising flooding potential. New planting will be carried out around the ponds which will help provide an environment which supports the wildlife and habitats.
The lower lawn should be ready for use again this July. Seeding the lawn was held up due to the bad weather so now huge rolls of turf will be used to cover it. These rolls are expected to establish the lawn more quickly.
Access will be restricted to just one side of the park around the lower lawn because of the works being carried out and our duty to ensure everyone’s safety. Paths from the old pumping station up to Bethune Way will also be undergoing repairs and resurfacing work. They will all be tarmaced this year and then treated with a bonded resin surface incorporating natural stone material as a more aesthetically pleasing finish, which will be more durable.
The Council is looking to replace the existing benches in the park with others, which are of a Victorian design, in keeping with English Heritage guidelines. If you have donated a bench and would like your plaque to be put onto a new bench or want more information, please contact Peter Mead on 781385. All existing benches will be changed, we will re-inscribe all those donated in memorial when replacing them in the new style.
Councillor Trevor Webb, Cabinet Member responsible for Community Safety & Quality of Life, said:
Moving the silt and drying it out on the middle lawn is going to be a huge job and will cause a fair amount of disruption. However, the end benefits will more than compensate for this and I hope residents will bear with us while we carry out the improvements.
By the time spring comes, we are going to have a park that begins to look more beautiful than ever and I am really looking forward to seeing the end result, anticipated in 2003.
I would like to thank the Friends of Alexandra Park group who have all worked really hard to help us and given us some new perspectives on ideas.
Alexandra Park was one of the most spectacular Victorian Parks of its day and now we are starting to move towards reinstating and rejuvenating it.
If you would like more information about the park project please contact the Project Manager Tel: 781197. If you have donated a bench, please Tel: 781385
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This page last updated: 12/07/2001