Monday 15 December 2008

SAVE THE GARDEN FESTIVAL CAMPAIGN EVENT IN TATE

On Sunday January 11th 2009 at 2-4pm Save the Festival Garden Campaign host an event in the International Festival space on the 4th floor TATE Liverpool.

Property developers LangtreeMcClean won the public enquiry to build 1,300 apartments on the site but nothing has happened yet.One of the developers has gone into administration,the 'credit crunch' is probably delaying the start of building and Riverside Drive and Priory Wood have recently had some serious holes appear.Riverside Drive was closed for weeks when the sewer pipes collapsed and it's only just opened up to vehicles again last night.

It is surely time for discussion regarding the loss of our public spaces.The Garden Festival Site is a 'green wedge',a mature forest home to a complete bio diverse eco system of plant and wildlife.Some of the Promenade has also been given away for free to the property developers by Liverpool City Council.Is this democracy?

2009 is Liverpool's 'Year of the Environment' and we should really have been celebrating our 24 year old forest and coastal pathway.Instead we are trying to come to terms with it's future as a housing development.

The area is an old landfill site and although permission was given to build the apartments, the future residents will not be allowed to have gardens as the land must not be dug due to the toxic substances underneath.The flats will also be built on stilts to prevent contamination.

We should be protecting green spaces in the current climate and teaching people about the importance of wilderness for our health and wellbeing.

There will be a rainforest organisation film screened which shows how we are destroying nature internationally and we will show our own local Garden Festival film.There will be food to eat and John Davies,international photographer and curator of 'Cities on the edge' exhibition and book, will lead the debate on the loss of public spaces and land give aways.
Please come along to see what our campaign achieved over the last year and a half.

No comments: