Liverpool’s Croxteth Country Park to get £2m upgrade and masterplan 2026

Key Points

• Croxteth Country Park in Liverpool is set to receive almost £2 million in investment as the first initiative of the Queen Elizabeth Trust.
• The money will help to improve a community garden within the walled gardens of the park, build a natural amphitheater, and construct a pump track for bike riders.
• The Queen Elizabeth Trust is a memorial scheme in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, which will partner with Liverpool City Council and the Lady Sefton Trust in the project.
• Sir Damon Buffini, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Trust, said that the late Queen “loved Merseyside, she loved the people”, so it was very appropriate for the area to be the first one to get the support.
• According to Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, the partnership would give the council an opportunity to “go further than we could have achieved alone”.
• There will be a masterplan created for the development of the park in the future in addition to the initial investments needed to find out how much more can be unlocked from the site.
• Croxteth Country Park now sees about 600,000 visits per year despite the fact that a large part of the 500-550-acre estate remains

Liverpool Council (Liverpool standard) September 16, 2026 – Liverpool City Council and the Queen Elizabeth Trust are joining forces on an ambitious new project at Croxteth Country Park, building on the council’s long-standing plans to unlock more of the much-loved green space’s potential for local communities and future generations. The partnership will see almost £2 million in combined investment directed into the park, making it the first project supported by the Queen Elizabeth Trust as it develops its approach ahead of a UK-wide funding programme due to launch formally in Spring 2027.

Subject to final agreements, the initial phase of work will include further restoration of a community garden within the park’s historic walled gardens, with a focus on supporting wellbeing, volunteering, skills development and inclusive access. It will also see the creation of a new natural amphitheatre in the park and the installation of a pump track – a purpose-built track of rollers and banked turns for bikers – intended to create more opportunities for children and young people to get active. Alongside these projects, the partnership will support the development of a masterplan for Croxteth Country Park’s future, assessing the scale and sequencing of future work and the mix of investment needed to unlock more of the estate’s potential.

Who is funding the Croxteth Country Park development?

The initial phase will bring together almost £2 million in combined investment from the Queen Elizabeth Trust and the Lady Sefton Trust, alongside wider support from Liverpool City Council, delivering vital practical support and expertise. The Lady Sefton Trust was bequeathed for the benefit of the city and is held in the custodianship of Liverpool City Council.

The Queen Elizabeth Trust is one of three memorial projects announced by the Government in April to honour the legacy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with her son King Charles as Royal Patron. Inspired by the late Queen’s stated belief that “everyone is our neighbour”, the trust will work with communities across the UK, providing funding and targeted support to restore and sustain shared spaces at the heart of local life.

Sir Damon Buffini CVO, chair of the Queen Elizabeth Trust, said: “Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth believed deeply in service, in community and in the things that bring people together. Throughout her reign she celebrated the extraordinary heritage, culture and natural beauty of the United Kingdom, and the communities that give those places meaning.” He added: “The Queen Elizabeth Trust wants to carry that spirit forward by helping to ensure our great, shared places remain part of everyday life, and everyone has the opportunity to experience and enjoy them. That is why we are so excited that Croxteth Country Park will be our first project. We want to work hand in hand with the Council and local communities, listening to the people who know the park best and working with them to shape its future.”

As reported by Claire Hamilton of the BBC, Sir Damon Buffini said “the late Queen loved Merseyside, she loved the people, so we thought it was appropriate” that the area was the first to benefit from the trust’s funding.

What improvements are planned for Croxteth Country Park?

The partnership will see the Queen Elizabeth Trust support an ambitious package of projects across the 500 acres of Croxteth Country Park, helping Liverpool City Council go further with its plans to increase community participation, improve facilities and secure a sustainable long-term future for one of the city’s most-loved shared places.

Subject to final agreements, the initial phase of work will include:

• Further restoration of a community garden within the park’s walled gardens, with a view to supporting wellbeing, volunteering, skills development and inclusive access.
• Creation of a new natural amphitheatre in the park.
• Installation of a pump track – a purpose-built track of rollers and banked turns for bikers – intended to create more opportunities for children and young people to get active.

Alongside these projects, the partnership will also support the development of a masterplan for Croxteth Country Park’s future. The park already attracts 600,000 visits per year, despite parts of the site remaining underused, and the masterplan will assess the scale and sequencing of future work and the mix of investment needed to unlock more of the park’s potential.

Liverpool City Council owns and manages Croxteth Park and will remain responsible for its long-term management and stewardship.

What have Liverpool City Council and local leaders said about the project?

Councillor Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “Croxteth Park has brought generations of Liverpudlians together and we want it to play just as important a role for generations to come. We have long had ambitious plans for the estate, but realising its full potential requires us to think at a different scale. The Queen Elizabeth Trust’s support, investment and expertise has galvanised our ambition and means we can go further than we could have achieved alone.”

He added: “Together, we can breathe new life into parts of this much-loved estate, create more opportunities for the communities around it, and help ensure that future generations can enjoy Croxteth just as generations of Liverpudlians have before them.”

Liverpool council cabinet member Dan Barrington, who studied as a teenager at Myerscough College, which has a base on the Croxteth estate, said: “I spent a lot of time physically out in the walled garden getting my hands dirty working – it’s a really special place.” He added the investment would help Croxteth Park realise its potential:

“It’s a country park in a city, with a stately home. It needs a lot of resource, this is that big stepping stone, the investment that this place needs.”

How have park users and students reacted to the Croxteth investment news?

Users of the park welcomed the announcement, with one mum telling the BBC: “It’s got an amazing energy, and it definitely needs promoting more.”

Students currently studying horticulture at Myerscough College said the investment would protect the long-term future of a place they loved. Lewis said he had fond memories of visiting the park as a child and was now proud to be learning more about its flora and fauna. Olly said the funding would mean Croxteth Park could continue to be a “safe space for kids and families for generations to come”.

Erin, a mature student at the college, said it was “great to see investment in horticulture in the north”, while fellow student Jackie added:

“It can only be a good thing to help people who love gardens, it might open a door for people that may have been bolted shut – it’s going to be amazing.”

Bee keeper Andrea Ku, whose bees make honey from the flowers and plants on the estate, said:

“Liverpool’s parks were a front runner historically. This is really exciting, an amphitheatre, the gardens – I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen.”

What is the history of Croxteth Country Park?

Croxteth Park is the former country estate and ancestral home of the Earls of Sefton, and passed to the council’s care in the early 1970s. The 550 acre site includes woodland, parkland, gardens and a base for students at Myerscough College.

The authority has long had ambitious plans for the estate, but in 2022 revealed it cost £1m per year to maintain. The park’s wider catchment is home to almost 220,000 people, including approximately 38,000 children.

During her Golden Jubilee visit to Liverpool in 2002, the late Queen described Merseyside as “one of the most distinctive and energetic parts of the United Kingdom” and reflected on Liverpool’s experience of showing how communities can come together.

Background to the Queen Elizabeth Trust and this development

The Queen Elizabeth Trust is one of a number of memorial projects that have been set up to honour the late monarch’s legacy, with King Charles as Royal Patron. It was among three memorial projects announced by the Government in April 2026 to honour the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II. The trust will launch formally in Spring 2027, when further information about its UK-wide funding programme will be published.

Inspired by the late Queen’s stated belief that “everyone is our neighbour”, the trust will work hand in hand with communities across the UK, providing funding and targeted support to restore and sustain shared spaces at the heart of local life. Croxteth Country Park will be the first project supported by the Queen Elizabeth Trust as it develops its approach ahead of the launch of its future UK-wide funding programme. Working with Liverpool City Council will allow the trust to put its approach into practice and learn how funding, relevant expertise and strong networks can best support local partners and help good ideas go further.

Prediction: How could this development affect Liverpool residents and park users?

The £2 million investment and masterplan process could affect Liverpool residents and park users in several ways if delivered as outlined by the council and the trust. The restoration of the community garden in the walled gardens is intended to support wellbeing, volunteering and skills development, which could create new opportunities for local residents to engage in horticulture, training and community activities. The new natural amphitheatre could provide a venue for community events, performances and gatherings, potentially increasing cultural activity in the north of the city.

The pump track is aimed at children and young people, and if widely used could increase physical activity levels among younger residents in the park’s catchment, which includes around 38,000 children. The masterplan could identify further investment needs and sequence future works, potentially leading to additional improvements across the 500–550 acre estate over time. With the park already attracting around 600,000 visits per year, improved facilities and promotion could increase footfall, which may bring both benefits for local wellbeing and pressures on maintenance and management that the council will need to balance.