Maysand seals £1.4m Fylde coast contract

Oldham conservation specialist Maysand has secured a £1.4 million deal with Fylde Borough Council for the regeneration of the Grade-II listed Ashton Gardens in St Annes.

Centrepiece of the restored park will be the refurbished and resited Ashton Institute Building, a modern replica of the timber-framed Colonial-style pavilion which, when complete, will be used as a community facility and café.

Three, 70-metre bore holes will be sunk to form part of an energy efficient transfer pump that will be used to heat the Institute.

“Ashton Gardens is a landmark on the Fylde and we were delighted to be award the contract,” said Maysand managing director Bryn Lisle.

He added: “The park is a popular destination for visitors and local residents and this is an important regeneration project for the community.

“We have experience of working on many projects in public spaces where access and safety are key considerations and these factors are going to be crucial in our work here.”

The project is being partly funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and includes landscaping improvements to paving, the installation of new, modern lighting plus work on the play area and drainage. The work is expected to take 42 weeks.

Refurbishment of the park’s war memorial, which will be cleaned, re-pointed and lit, and the demolition of the existing sports pavilion, is part of the overall project.

The East and West gate lodges will also be restored externally and one will be become an information centre coupled with the reintroduction of metal railings, which will form an impressive entrance to the park from St George’s Road, reminiscent of that which would have been seen by the park’s original visitors.

The gardens cover 10 acres and comprise a number of historic buildings and display gardens.

Based in Salmon Fields, Royton, Maysand has worked on a wide range of restoration, regeneration and preservation projects including the Manchester City Art Gallery, Dunham Massey, the Port of Liverpool Building and Chethams School of Music.