Progress has been slow but now that Heritage Lottery Funding has been made available, things are about to take shape throughout the Lower Park .
Refurbishments to buildings in the Park including the bandstand, café, tennis pavilion and the tennis pavilion toilets are due to start in Autumn this year.
The cafe is the first building to receive attention. £120, 000 is being spent to completely renovate the structure and prepare it for life as a vibrant cafe by day, and potentially a tasteful bistro by night. Decking will be built outside the café so that park users can sit outside during the summer. The intention will be to attract a business to run the cafe, delivering quality food and drinks, day and evening, with emphasis on developing a community spirit within the park. A disabled access is to be built linking the cafe with Lower Park Road. The cafe will incorporate full disabled access as well with side entrances - on the level - and include a toilet suitable for disabled people. It is hoped to have the building operational for the next Spring/Summer season.
This began early in September. There is a vast amount of silt to get out of the ponds - some of it is waist deep. It will be spread on the middle lawn to dry out and then will be mixed with organic matter. A membrane will be laid out over the silt mixture before the topsoil is spread over the top, this will ensure that any stones or other matter cannot re-emerge on the surface. During this process, experts will be brought in to survey the silt to establish anything of historic value such as coins, before the mixture is levelled out and a new lawn sown. The silt has been analysed and is free from any unwanted chemical residues and is also very rich in nutrients; however it is likely to smell for a time. The new and improved lawn should be ready for use by Summer 2002.
The ponds in Alexandra Park were originally created in 1870, by the park designer Robert Marnock. The pond base was formed by ‘puddling’ impervious clay which was imported on to the site. A layer of the clay would have been laid over the bottom of the ponds, mixed with water and trodden in - the same way that grapes are in the winemaking process. Since then, a sediment layer has built up in the ponds and is more than a metre thick in some places. The sediment has been brought down to the ponds from the streams which are further up the park. Fast moving water carries minute soil particles which are deposited in the ponds.
So much soil had been deposited in the ponds that less and less water was in them - the fish were found to be stunted for their age and the eco-system in the pond was in bad shape. When the ponds are emptied the water will be deeper and improvements that the Council plans to make will lead to a great diversity of plants and wildlife in them.
Resurfacing work will be carried out on paths in the lower park area. The paths from the old pumping station to Bethune Way will be covered with tarmac and treated with a bonded resin and natural stone material. Work will start in October, but final negotiations are still underway. In order to keep costs down paths designated solely for pedestrian use will be narrowed slightly. The designated vehicle route will be constructed to withstand the weight of contractor’s vehicles and traffic use will be strictly controlled upon completion in order to increase the public’s safety within the park. More details about this route will appear on information boards on site.
Maps also displayed on site will show paths in use during project works, other areas will be fenced off for public safety, signs will be used to warn the public of contractor activity. Part of the above works will include re-constructing steps, handrails and drainage.
A natural stone retaining wall has been collapsing for some time, causing the closure of the path from Harmers layby down into the park. The reconstruction work is now well under way as part of the project and the path will be re-opened for public use quite soon.
Part of the project requirement is to carry out a detailed survey and chart all major trees (the park contains a valuable collection of trees, including rare species). The ecological survey will take place over the next 12 months in order to establish the range of species to be found. Old Roar Ghyll and the ancient woodland is considered unique in an urban environment. The survey will point to management techniques that will help promote the biodiversity of these areas. It is likely that the Ghyll will be designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 2002.
Councillor Trevor Webb, Cabinet Member responsible for Community Safety & Quality of Life, said:
"Thanks to everyone who has been working so hard to get the restoration project off the ground, “There will of course be some disruption in the park while work is taking place, but we hope that park users will be patient – the results will undoubtedly be well worth waiting for."
A spokesperson for Friends of Alexandra Park said that they were delighted to see work starting at last and looked forward to the successful results of months of discussion and planning.
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This page last updated: 15/10/2001