Queens Gardens closes for huge revamp lasting more than a year
MAKEOVER WILL ALLOW WIDER RANGE OF EVENTS
HULL’S Queens Gardens closed to the public on Monday for a multimillion pound facelift, with the first phase of works set to last more than a year.
Contractors C R Reynolds have begun setting up on site ahead of works to improve paving around the Rose Bowl and Guildhall Road from Thursday, June 1.
On-street parking will be available on just one side of Guildhall Road during the works and footpaths around the Rose Bowl closed, with signs to alternative routes to be displayed.
Hull City Council leader Cllr Mike Ross said quite a bit of work was needed to bring Queens Gardens up to standard.
The works beginning this week are the first phase of a refurbishment project which council officials said would likely take almost three years.
Garry Taylor, assistant director of Major Projects told councillors in November the plan was to finish works on the Rose Bowl first, so it would be available while main works take place.
He added supply chain issues had pushed up costs significantly and works needed to be done in several parts of Queens Gardens at once to avoid further expenses and delays.
The refurbishment budget was £4.3m when it was unveiled in 2019, which rose to £11.7m by 2021 due to the fallout from Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the subsequent inflation.
Plans for Queens Gardens include artworks, amphitheatre-style seating and maritime installations along the boundary.
New railings are also set to be reinstalled way marking bollards, with 3D scans of artefacts from the city’s Maritime Museum collection.
The current phase of works will see boundary walls around the Rose Bowl replaced and infrastructure installed to allow large scale events to take place.
Repairs to boundary walls and improved access with new stairs and ramps are also part of the first phase, set to last for 14 months.
Paving around the Rose Bowl will be replaced with natural granite stone.
The council has also pledged to plant three trees in the gardens and elsewhere when 35 mature Poplars are cut down later this year.
They will be replaced with semimature Metasequoia trees which the council said would replicate the avenue included in Frederick Gibberd’s 1950s plans for the redesign of the gardens.
It follows a backlash when plans for the refurbishment, which included the tree felling, went before councillors in 2021.
Cllr Ross said he appreciated and understood the concerns raised about the trees but added feedback on the council’s plans going forward were positive.
The leader said: “The works for Queens Gardens have been a long time coming, there’s quite a bit to do
The works for Queens Gardens have been a long time coming, there’s quite a bit to do to get parts of it up to standard
Cllr Mike Ross
to get parts of it up to standard and to make it more usable in the long term.
“The first phase is taking place until next summer, afterwards it will be a much more pleasurable environment.
“The benefits are that it can be much more flexible in the way it’s used, hopefully for a much wider range of events.
“There’s been quite a lot of discussion and engagement with various groups on the trees, the feedback around it was positive, they seem happy with the three to one approach.”