Elaine local resident and wife of Ian (and equally inspiring Scout leader, community radio station manager and Friends of Maghull & District director), inspiringly decided to improve her local environment by creating and managing part of an unkempt grass verge by using free seeds and cuttings from her own garden to create a stunning flower bed oasis. Her labour of love is an uplifting joy to pass by each day, and I would like to convey our gratitude from the local community.

Problem Background

Some years ago Park Lane in Maghull was considered one of the worst maintained roads in Merseyside according to a Liverpool Echo article. The local residents have really been blighted by the consequences of several close large construction developments over the years which has blocked and flooded roads, created huge multiple potholes and danger for drivers and pedestrians, and pollution in the form of noise, litter and invasive dust/dirt amongst some of the main complaints. Concerted efforts over four years of the building of the Poppy Field Site, Ashworth’s medium secure unit, new train station, motorway service development & new junction, and currently the Ashworth Hospital low secure unit build, have resulted in Sefton Council brilliantly reconstructing the whole road and drains, dangerous hedges trimmed, unsightly perimeter fencing removed and replaced with a boulevard of 29 new trees and 600 hedge trees.

Ongoing Concerns.

However, despite concerns raised to the owners (Persimmon Homes) regarding the future maintenance of the long grass verge where the trees and hedging were planted, local resident’s pessimism was realised when the whole area has again been swamped by 5 foot weeds, the dilapidated bus shelter has not been replaced, and the large neighbouring brick structure (a remnant of a house) still contains a live gas and electricity feeds that were not demolished as part of original site clearance. In addition, last year we reported that the beautiful local historic pond had four huge dead trees which represented a clear danger but nothing happened, so we escalated it to Sefton Council tree department.

Room for Optimism.

Persimmon have now advised the following:

The huge unkempt grass verge on Park Lane will next week be strimmed, backfilled with topsoil to reduce the step between the pavement and the border, reseeded during the best weather to sustain the growth and will then be maintained and monitored by their subcontractors (Dunkirk Landscapes).
Contact has been made with Persimmons tree surgeon subcontractors, with an unclear timeline on removal due to the fact that we obtained tree protection orders some years prior to their disease.
The replacement of the dilapidated bus shelter and neighbouring brick structure housing live utilities are claimed not to be part of Persimmons planning application responsibilities, consequently our new Sefton Borough Councillor (Phil Hart) and I have escalated this to the Sefton Council planning team for further investigation.
The dangerously overgrown hedges along Park Lane resulting in residence with mobility scooters, prams and most other pedestrians having to walk on the narrow extremely busy road, including a massive danger for every car coming out of the Parkbourn Estate with dangerously restrict EditCaptioned lines of sight are being addressed as follows:
private and tenanted property – landlords contacted to no avail consequently they have been reported to Sefton Council enforcement team for the third year on the run?
Ashworth Hospital hedging has been cut back without a request.
Riverside Housing Association (RHA) hedging between Beechway and School Lane has also been reported to RHA and Sefton Council enforcement team.
Sefton Council owned land around the sharp bend on Park Lane, in which the weeds have also grown to 5 foot, dangerously obscuring drivers views of the sharp bend, have also instructed their subcontractors again and have now resolved the issue, despite cutting down 50% of the newly planted trees by Persimmon.
United Utilities unkempt pump station also requires further prompting.