A new public park totalling 4.7 acres is being planned for Liverpool waterfront in the next stage of the Liverpool Waters development. Tony McDonough reports

Peel L&P has unveiled plans to build a new waterfront park at Liverpool Waters totalling 4.7 acres – the combined size of Liverpool and Everton FC’s football pitches

Central Park will sit south of Collingwood Dock by the historic Tobacco Warehouse. It will offer direct access to parts of the canal and central docks for the first time in many years.

From walking to water sports, the Peel L&P team behind the proposal are now inviting people to tell them what they would like to see in the new park and how they might use it.

This follows investments in new green spaces across the Peel L&P portfolio, including Wirral Waters, where a new pocket park was completed recently and the creation of wildflower meadows within the award-winning MediaCity gardens at Salford Quays.

Chris Capes, Peel L&P’s development director for Liverpool Waters, said: “Green space has never been so important. Not only for our physical and mental health and wellbeing but also as a way of absorbing air pollution. Being able to create a new large public park at the heart of the city in an urban environment is really exciting.

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“It’s fantastic to have reached this next stage in our journey. Despite the challenges of the last couple of years, we’ve been busy working behind the scenes, so it is great to be able to share our proposals and have a conversation about what a new park could mean to the local community.”

The vision for Central Park is guided by five ideas:

• A place for people – a place that people will want to visit to socialise, play and relax and can be enjoyed in lots of different ways.
• A place for nature – the opportunity for wildlife to thrive in different habitats and become a place that brings people and nature together.
• place for learning – where people from all walks of life can come to learn about the site’s heritage, biodiversity and its unique response to climate change.
• A place for sustainability – exploring ways to re-use the site’s existing heritage materials such as cobbles in creative and innovative ways to minimise environmental impact and enhance the sense of place.
• A place for water – it will bring people closer to water with walks and views along the canal, access points for water sports as well as educating people about the water cycle through the park.

Chris added: “We really want Central Park to become a destination for everyone and a place where people can visit and relax with their family and friends. We know the docks are hugely important to everyone in the city.

“This is why our design is driven by the regenerative nature of Liverpool’s waterfront to form strong connections between people and nature. And we are really keen to have a conversation to find out what people like to see in parks and how they use them.”

The team at Liverpool Waters have created a dedicated website to capture people’s comments which can be found at www.liverpoolwatersletschat.co.uk

They’re also holding two informal drop-in sessions with refreshments on Thursday, May 12, 4pm – 7pm, at Ten Streets Social, 8 Regent Rd, Liverpool, L3 7BX and Monday, May 16, 4pm – 7pm, Silvestrian Suites, Silvester Street, Liverpool L5 8SE.