The pavillion at Moor Park

Plans to restore one of the city’s Victorian park to its former glory have been unveiled.

Preston City Council are submitting a funding bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £2 million to bring Edward Milner’s vision for Moor Park to reality.

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The park is grade II listed and earlier this year the area around the park was declared a conservation area.

Milner made upgrades to the park between 1863-65 and now the city council are proposing to make changes following some of his original plans including:

– extending the Serpentine Lake
– rebuilding the footbridge over the Serpentine
– enabling public use of the observatory
– resurfacing paths
– improving cricket facilities
– creation of a new skate park

The council also wishes to recreate Milner’s original vision of a large open moorland which would allow large events to be hosted – such as th likes of Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Councillor Robert Boswell, Cabinet member for community and environment, said: “This is an exciting project and will reaffirm the city’s status as having some of the best parks in the country.

“We have seen at Avenham and Miller Parks what investment into the city’s parks can achieve and we will ensure that the success is recreated at Moor Park.”

A previous scheme won £6 million to restore Avenham and Miller Parks.

Some of the work in Moor Park would involve removing a small avenue of current trees that divide the middle of the park.

Malcom Tyrell, chair of the Moor Park friends group, added: “It is a very exciting project and as a friends group it would be extremely rewarding to see significant investment in Moor Park.

“By improving the facilities for park users it should ensure that the park continues to attract more visitors and that the experience is hugely improved for people, especially if the weather stays like this.”

If the funding bid is successful the work would start in summer 2014 and take 12 months to complete.

The city’s parks have recently been recognised nationally with the awarding of five Green Flags to the city – but Moor Park was not one of the winners.

Do you visit Moor Park? What do you think about the proposals? Let us know in the comments below