Work will start later this month to regenerate a pocket-sized park alongside the canal in Chester city centre.
George Street Park has been closed to the public for a number of years, the area is in poor condition and has been used for anti-social behaviour.
For years there has been talk of revamping the park but now it is finally happening.
Cheshire West and Chester Council is set to transform the area into an attractive pocket park, open to the public, with views across the canal towards the City Walls.
Chester Waterways Strategy identifies the opportunity to maximise the benefits of the Shropshire Union Canal especially given the location of the new bus interchange which opens next month.
The first phase will address the site’s state of disrepair through management of existing trees and vegetation.
And the second phase will re-instate the pocket park so that it helps to explain the historical importance of the site while also providing a habitat for wildlife. Completion is due by the end of 2017.
Cllr Louise Gittins, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing said: “George Street Pocket Park overlooks the best preserved section of the City Walls and sandstone cutting. The history associated with the site really is quite extraordinary.
“The walls, viewed from the park, follow the line of the original Roman northern defences. Along this section of walls, one of the most important archaeological finds made in Chester occurred in the 19th century. Between 1883 and 1892, over 150 Roman (sandstone) tombstones were found. They appear to have been used to repair the walls.“
An arboriculture survey has been carried out by the authority’s tree officer who identified about 60 trees and made key recommendations.
An avenue of lime trees forms a strong feature and the concept design will ‘enhance’ this feature, while improving views towards the City Walls through pruning.
The survey also identified a need to remove 20 trees. Clearance of the trees will create space for the retained trees to develop. Arboriculture works will take place prior to the 2017 bird nesting season.
Excavation will be limited due to the presence of electric cables with stump grinding proposed in two instances.
The second phase is due to take place in the autumn of 2017. Clearly defined pathways and viewing platforms will be incorporated into the open space as a whole, opening up vistas of the City Walls and sandstone cutting.
Provision of a pathway opens up the possibility of providing terraces of open space, accessed off the main pathway.
Heritage interpretation will be incorporated to tell the story of the site and enable a fuller appreciation of its historic importance. Significant areas of the wider site will have no public access and be maintained to a lesser degree in order to encourage wildlife.
