Works to prepare Court Hey Park for the latest phase of its transformation are about to get underway.
Knowsley Council has ambitious plans for its parks and green spaces and following the development of a masterplan for Court Hey Park – funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2023 – the Council has been working with site partners to enhance the award-winning green space.
The new masterplan included a condition survey of the former National Wildflower Centre Millennium Building which revealed the structure was beyond practical or economic repair.
The building has been closed to the public for safety reasons since 2017 and takes up a large proportion of the central park space.
A two-phased approach to the park improvements has been proposed. Given the safety and cost implications of the Millennium Building, the first phase will involve the removal of the building.
This phase of works will begin on site on 24 November and will last approximately 30 weeks. This will see the building demolished and the area re-landscaped into the park, creating a new area of park that connects the Courtyard buildings, Incredible Edible CIC, and the Forest School area to the sunken Rose Garden and increases pedestrian routes through the park.
The story so far
In recent years Knowsley Council has worked alongside partners to bring investments and improvements to Court Hey Park.
These have included the main central courtyard buildings being brought back into public use through funding secured from the Public Sector Decarbonation Scheme and the opening of an on-site café and public toilet at Espositos.
The park, courtyard and walled garden have become a hive of activity with community hubs at the heart of the park, featuring community-benefit organisations including One Knowsley and Incredible Edible Knowsley CIC.
Recent highlights include:
- One Knowsley launched the first ever Knowsley Pride in 2024;
- Incredible Edible CIC secured significant funding through the Reaching Communities Lottery Fund and opened a new holistic therapy hub “Incredible Edible Hollistics” within the walled garden;
- Friends of Court Hey Park have delivered events that over 2000 residents have attended and secured external grant funding to deliver more events across 2026;
- Whitefield Cricket Club gained promotion and secured funding through the English Cricket Board for pitch improvements;
- Court Hey Bowlers secured funding through Sport England to build a new club house on site;
- And Merseycycle secured The Big Bike revival funding to deliver road safety and bike maintenance courses and support residents to become confident cyclists.
What comes next?
Following the demolition of the National Wildflower Centre Millennium Building, the Council will seek funding to deliver the second phase of the masterplan bringing a range of improvements based on the heritage and history of the park. These will include:
- Creating safe pedestrian routes throughout the park and improving vehicle access.
- Further improve and support the growing community hub at the heart of the park.
- The creation of a secondary open courtyard area with a new frontage for Incredible Edible CIC that opens up into the sunken garden and wider park.
- The garden wall of the original walled garden to be repaired.
- The garden areas of the former National Wildflower Centre would be enhanced and re-opened to the public as an ecology awareness zone. This would build on the legacy and heritage of Court Hey Park as a location for ecological innovation, experimentation and community engagement.
- Provision of additional infrastructure for sports and fitness activities across the park.
- Creation of new public realm between the stables and rose garden.
- Improvements to the car park area, including more spaces, resurfacing and lighting.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: “Court Hey Park is full of rich history and heritage and has become a hub for events and attractions at the heart of the local community. We want to ensure that it provides the very best facilities for our communities and the start of work on the first phase of our masterplan will achieve just that – more usable spaces for our communities and a legacy for the National Wildflower Centre.”
Racheal Jones, Chief Executive of One Knowsley said: “Since our arrival at Court Hey Park our aim has been to add to the park’s offering by creating a vibrant hub that can be used and enjoyed – increasing our community’s enjoyment of this wonderful space by providing activities and events for all.”
Karen Mower from Incredible Edible added “The latest improvements at Court Hey Park will ensure that our activities are aligned to the needs of the residents we seek to support and we look forward to continuing to expand our offer, working alongside our communities.”
Jacqueline Yemm, Chair, Friends of Court Hey Park, added “Court Hey Park is a treasured local park and we are delighted to be working alongside the council and being part of its future development at such an exciting time.”