Park Lane in Maghull was considered in a Liverpool Echo straw poll to be one of the worst roads on Merseyside a couple of years ago. The local community was blighted with dirt, noise, blocked drains and flooding, countless potholes, strewn with building materials and packaging, loss of biodiversity and poor enforcement of planning conditions caused by a four years of construction work at the Poppy Fields Estate.

Many challenges have been overcome to resolve most of the issues (e.g. Sefton Council reconstructed the road, drains and surfacing) whilst other issues continue and it was really pleasing to note this week that is a large stretch of a profoundly neglected grass verge has at last been populated with 700 mixed wildlife friendly hedge whips and 29 standard trees, providing a boulevard of trees and a screen from the bland uniformity of the rear of the social housing. We had appealed to persimmon over the years to remove the dilapidated perimeter wooden fencing on this stretch of Park Lane, only for them to allow the weeds to grow six-foot tall and to be a haven for fly tipping. They cooked the weeds down eventually once only for them to grow back again whilst every year they promised the hedging, trees and returfing to no avail. Throughout these years the neighbours in the immediate vicinity had to tolerate all these problems on their doorstep. Persimmon is one of the most profitable housebuilders in the country and their priority is building and occupying homes, but surely it would not have taken many resources to be considerate to their neighbours and help enhance their tarnished national reputation.

We were also concerned about the four years of total neglect of Maghull’s secret beauty spot, comprising of an historic tree-lined pond. There has been no evidence throughout building programme of any adherence to the four-year schedule agreed in the planning conditions of maintaining and enhancing the historic pond area which had been neglected so badly with strewn building debris and historic low water levels killing all biodiversity within it. Nevertheless, there has been a clear up (most likely the recent volunteers) a perimeter fence has been erected, a path created, the four huge dead and dangerous reported trees has had one tree lopped recently. The pond has also recovered some of its water levels to some extent.

In conversation with one of the Poppy Fields residents he added sarcastically that they have even repaired many of the streetlights recently and cynically said that he believed that they had to get everything up to Council adoption standard by March, hence the flurry of improvements.

Nevertheless, it’s a time to celebrate, cherish and nurture.