A wall of concrete-filled bags will be built to shore up the banks of a lake in one of Preston’s premier parks after sinkholes emerged.
Preston City Council’s cabinet agreed to fund the safety scheme in Haslam Park, in Ashton, after an inspection revealed that an area close to a public footpath had been destabilised by water erosion.
A report presented to the meeting at which the £21k project was given the green light stated that “various methods of stabilisation” had been considered by the authority’s parks team – but that “the most cost effective and environmentally approved solution” was to use ‘Solu Form’ bags.
Read more: Moor Lane back open after sinkhole repaired ahead of schedule
That will involve constructing what members were told would amount to a “concrete stabilising wall above and below the waterline”.
Although the bags are often used within watercourses, they are “not aesthetically pleasing”, the cabinet report warned.
For that reason, £2,000 of the budget for the project has been set aside to enable the purchase of “locally-sourced aquatic [and] marginal plants”, which are expected to be “more visibly pleasing” – and create new waterside habitats.
The document added: “The lake is a major feature within [Haslam Park] and is much loved by residents and visitors. Unfortunately, over time, wave action has undercut the banking close to the public footpath, destabilising the grass edging and creating sinkholes.”
The park has secured Green Flag status every year for the past two decades.
The city council has not yet provided a start date for the works nor any details of how park users might be affected.
The scheme will be funded from an existing cash pot reserved for infrastructure improvements to Preston’s parks and open spaces.
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