Mab Lane Community Woodland

On Tuesday 9th June 2009, a drop-in session is being held at St Albert’s Primary School so that you can find out more about what will be happening on site to create Mab Lane Community Woodland.

The session will be open between 2.30pm and 4pm, with all invited to come along.

Address: St Albert’s Primary School, Steers Croft, Stockbridge Village, L28 8AJ

Map: click to see on Google Maps.

Message from Liverpool City Council:

The trees adjacent to Mab Lane on the boundary of the new Community Woodland have been removed in preparation for the construction of a new drain and detention tank by United Utilities to alleviate foul flooding in the Mab Lane area. In preparation for these works, it has been necessary for United Utilities to remove the trees as early as possible to avoid the bird nesting season.

All the trees that have had to be removed will be replaced nearby upon the completion of the drainage works and will be selected to complement the development of the new community woodland.

United Utilities have confirmed that a public exhibition will be held on Tuesday, 3 March to discuss the proposed Mab Lane scheme.

Engineers will be in attendance at St Albert’s RC Parochial Centre from 2pm-7pm to answer any questions residents or local councillors may have about the proposed scheme and share details of their plans.

The centre’s address is 31 Hollow Croft, Stockbridge Village, L28 4EA.

(Note: The exhibition is about the United Utilities scheme - see previous post for details - rather than a general exhibition about the Mab Lane Community Woodland).

Following an article in the press, please see news from United Utilities below emphasising that there will be no sewage plant at Mab Lane, nor odour issues, and that on the contrary the proposed scheme is designed to reduce flooding to help remove 71 local homes from the flood risk register:

Full statement from United Utilities:

“We would like to reassure local residents that the letter we sent out to local residents is in regards to a proposed scheme. The submission is under consideration. We are hopeful however that this scheme will be approved as it is one of great benefit to the local community.

Please be advised however that we are not proposing to build a sewage plant – and there will be no odour issues whatsoever.

We hope to build an underground storage tank which will capture excess water during heavy rainfall and stop it from entering the sewer, which then causes flooding. As part of our work to improve the overall reliability of the sewer network, we are also planning to replace 1,100 metres of pipeline in Chelsea Court, Dumbrees Road, Feltwood Road and Playfield Road.

The scheme is designed to remove 71 properties in the local area from the flood risk register.

We have been working closely with Liverpool City Council and 2020 Liverpool to ensure that our plans are in accordance with their requirements. We will be writing to local residents again in the near future to confirm a date and venue for a public exhibition. We will answer any questions residents may have at the exhibition and share detailed plans of our proposed work.”

The latest design drawing for the creation of the back field section of Mab Lane Community Woodland is available to peruse in this design pdf. To view the plan for the other part of the site, ‘the Mabby’, visit the Comment on the plan section.

The back field also known as 'the Backy'

Happy new year one and all! A quick news story from just before Christmas that you may not have seen:

Young people from Berrybridge Housing and Broadgreen International School had their say on the development of the Mab Lane Community Woodland when they met landscape designers to discuss their ideas for the project. Find out how they got on in the full article.

A Christmas update from the Mab Lane Community Woodland design team:

“The project is designed and is currently out for formal quotation with an expected start date early in the new year.

The design team would like to wish members of the community a merry Christmas and a happy new year and look forward to the exciting prospect of the community woodland coming to fruition on site in 2009, Year of the Environment.”

As well as signing up to find out about events at Mab Lane, you can now also get involved by dedicating a tree in the new woodland.

For £15 you can dedicate one of the trees that will be planted at the site this winter to a friend or relative. You will receive a certificate with a personalised message in a presentation pack, along with a map to the woodland, a postcard and a seed-pack so that you can plant your own trees too. To dedicate your tree or to find out more, visit www.dedicateatree.org. 

Mab Lane has been in the spotlight this week. Grab a copy of today’s Liverpool Echo or click here to read a feature about the new Community Woodland, and then this coming Monday (1st Dec) you can tune in to City Talk 105.9FM to hear Cllr Berni Turner speaking about the plans for the site at 1.45pm.

Capital of Culture board member Phil Redmond with pupils from St Albert's Primary School

Many thanks to the local enthusiast who has supplied a lowdown on some of the wildlife that can be spotted on the backfield. This has now been turned into a mini guide to the creatures to look out for when you visit the site.

If you yourself have seen any exciting wildlife at either the backfield or the Mabby, add a comment in the white box at the bottom of the wildlife page and it’ll be added to the guide.

Bullfinch - photo copyright Mike Roberts

Thank you to everyone who came along to yesterday’s consultation event (and to everyone who has left comments on this website), it has been great to see such enthusiasm for the project.

The website has been updated with new photos of the site, the draft plan for the woodland, and ideas for potential features. Click above to check these out, and don’t forget you can add your comments in the white box at the bottom of each page.

Thanks!

On Thursday 23rd October there will be a drop-in community day where you can find out about the draft plans for the Mab Lane Community Woodland, talk to some of the organisations involved and have your say on how you would like to see the site take shape.

The drop-in day will run from 1pm until 7pm so feel free to pop along anywhere between these two times.

The event will be held at Mab Lane Youth Centre, Croxdale Road West.

Click the flyer below to see the full size version…

Hello! There is a new woodland soon to be created at Mab Lane (two sites known as the Mabby and the Backfield or Backy) and this blog is here to help you find out about the project and to have your say.

To leave comments on anything you read on the blog, just click on the title of the article and fill in the white box. Hope you enjoy the site!