Springfield Park

The kids seem to really be enjoying the park at the moment, it seems like a nice space for them. It’s just perfect, there’s so much to explore.” Emma, Parent

Springfield Park is the local community park. Alder Hey Children’s Health Campus sits adjacent to it. A land swap agreement with Liverpool City Council enabled Alder Hey to build a new Hospital on part of Springfield Park. A new park has been developed featuring play areas, wildflower meadows, reserve football pitches and more for the local community to enjoy.

We are grateful to Friends of Springfield Park who have helped us to create a park that we believe will be a fantastic asset for the community for years to come. We look forward to continuing to work with them to explore any further opportunities to develop the park in the future.

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Handover update

A new planning application for the park has been submitted to the Local Planning Authority at the request of Liverpool City Council. This is to cover some small changes to the initial planning application in 2019, including clarification in the park boundary and some alterations to the design following feedback from the local community i.e. a reduced park swale and retention of the three willow trees.

Our team is continuing to work alongside Liverpool City Council to ensure a smooth handover of the park following planning approval.

Meanwhile the main phase of the park is fully open and accessible to the park.

What is in the New Springfield Park?

Play Park

It’s been fantastic seeing so many children and young people enjoying the children’s play areas.

My favourite place to go is the new playground. I love the swings and the sandpit. I wish I could go every day!” Clemence aged 4 (pictured below)

Clemence on the swings in Springfield Park

“My kids are obsessed! We have probably been here ten times since it opened…We feel really privileged to have such a nice playground and facilities within walking distance. It has been much needed in the area and it saves us having to travel out to the likes of Sefton Park and Calderstones Park. It means we can meet new friends and get them [the children] out in the outdoors.” Clemence’s mum Rachael

“The kids seem to really be enjoying the park at the moment, it seems like a nice space for them. It’s just perfect, there’s so much to explore.” Emma, Parent

“It’s better than what we have got in Bangor Hospital. It’s really good being next to the hospital. This is our first time coming to the hospital, and the park is brilliant. The play equipment is fantastic.” Rebecca, Parent

“We only live around the corner so it is ideal for us to come over after school and on weekends. They’ve loved playing in here. I think the equipment is brilliant, there’s more here than in any other park in Liverpool. I should say it’s one of the best parks we have visited in Liverpool recently, definitely.” Jenna, Parent

The play area includes all kinds of exciting features including a wobbly bridge on entry, sandpits, rocking boats, roundabouts, interactive play panels, seesaws and an amazing multi activity climbing frame and slide. The accessible seesaw, donated by Friends of Springfield Park to the community, has been relocated into the new play area which also features a range of swings for all abilities. There are also plenty of picnic tables and seating for families to rest after hours of play!

Natural Play Area

Children of all ages can enjoy this open green space, featuring stepping logs, timber sleepers and rock boulders.

Some of our families are enjoying this space such as Emilio and Rumer (pictured above) :

I love being outdoors and climbing on the rocks and rolling on the grass. I love this park.” Emilio

Rumer’s mum, Lauren, said: “Rumer loves to explore the park and gets very excited when visiting.”

Wildflower Meadow

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The previous park playground has been turned into a wildflower meadow.

Esmai (below) came from Stoke today and said, “My favourite thing to do is smelling the flowers, they’re beautiful and playing on the slides.”

Multi-Use Games Area

The Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and Trim Trail are all being used regularly by the local community. The MUGA is floodlit which means it can be used from 9am-10pm each day!

Reserve Football Pitches

The football pitches were seeded earlier this year and an establishment period to allow the grass to grow is now underway.

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Variety of Habitats and Homes for Wildlife

Within the new park are all kinds of different habitats aiming to increase biodiversity and the health of local wildlife. With 350 new trees, woodland areas, bare soil areas and a variety of different plant species, Springfield Park’s ecosystems and microhabitats will thrive.

The Promenade and path network

The Promenade links the Park from the Hospital’s Alder Centre to the Institute in the Park buildings. A footpath network provides easy access across the Park and to the Hospital and connects the old park to the new.

Lighting up the Park

Springfield Park is lit up from dusk till dawn! Lights throughout the Park are operated by sensor technology and automatically come on at dusk and turn off at dawn every day. The Park lighting scheme was really important to the local community and will help to improve visibility and safety.

Springfield Park Swale

A swale has been created to drain overflow water from the park and reduce the risk of flooding.

Swales are an effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly drainage solution, providing a natural habitat for local wildlife while also reducing water run-off at peak times.

When not in use, dry or wet swales form a natural part of the surrounding environment. Swales are used in other green spaces across the city, most recently at the Southern Grasslands adjacent to Festival Gardens.

The Springfield Park swale has the capacity to drain overflow water from the park and other neighbouring elements as instructed by Liverpool City Council.

There have been requests from parts of the community to ‘fill in’ the swale. However, we were unable to remove the swale without an alternative solution in place to manage drainage within the park that met the requirements of Liverpool City Council and the Planning Authority. Liverpool City Council confirmed the current swale must remain in place to reduce the risk of waterlogging and flooding in the park.

Work on the swale was initially delayed, which gave us time to consider potential solutions that could enable us to remove or reduce the size of the swale. We cannot independently connect the park drainage system into the local water system as the discharge of land water from just the park into the local network is against current guidance. Our suggestion to Liverpool City Council is to use a soakaway to complement the swale. A soakaway is a buried drainage feature that infiltrates water directly into the ground rather than into an offsite location (i.e., a local sewer). Soakaways can work effectively but only when geological conditions are favourable. A soakaway would require a ‘testing phase’ over a multi-seasonal period and this could potentially take up to two years.

Additional features

Signage, notice boards, benches and bins have all been installed across the new park.

Reducing Anti-social Behaviour

Barrier to reduce Anti Social Behaviour in Springfield Park

The reinforced barrier that closes off the loop line from Springfield Park

We continue to work with Friends of Springfield Park, Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police in exploring ways to tackle anti-social behaviour. This includes strengthening the fence from the existing Springfield Park to the loop line. Hedges have also been installed to reinforce the barrier further.