Grant awarded to reinvigorate garden and greenhouse site

A £2 million grant will see a renowned garden and greenhouse attraction restored in Liverpool.

The site of the International Garden Festival will be returned to its former glory, thanks to the cash from the North West Development Agency.

It hosted horticulture shows throughout the 1980s, opening from May until October and attracting millions of visitors.

Plans to convert it into parkland broke down with numerous changes of ownership over the years.

However, 26 acres will now be transformed into an ornamental display area, with Japanese and Chinese gardens, pagodas, and water features added for visitors to enjoy.

The site may even give garden and greenhouse enthusiasts inspiration for their own green space, with a further 40 acres being set aside for natural parkland and recreational use.

"Its in a fantastic location," Land Restoration Trust spokesperson David Evans told the Royal Horticultural Society.

"Once the new park is open to the public and the community is engaged in its management the site will evolve into a real community asset."

It follows the regeneration of Stanley Park in Liverpool, which included the reconstruction of its Victorian glasshouse centrepiece.