AS lockdown restrictions ease from today, Cornwall’s Eden Project is ready to welcome back visitors – and the biomes and outdoor gardens are blossoming, says interim chief executive David Harland.

Teams of horticulturalists have been working hard on weeding, sowing and planting to make sure the site is looking its best after the longest closure in the venue’s 20-year history.

Eden was in the midst of the Christmas season when heavy rain caused flooding and landslips at the former clay quarry and it closed to the public on December 20. Then shortly afterwards came the third national lockdown.

Now, the site of the landslip is set to become a stunning waterfall, an eye-catching and powerful addition to the outdoor area.

Over its two decades Eden has welcomed more than 22 million people, including more than 50,000 school visitors a year.

David Harland said: “Looking across the site now ablaze with colour in peak spring, it feels like the reawakening of a sleeping giant and the rekindling of an incredible team spirit which led to us fully opening for the first time 20 years and two months ago.

“As a project that thrives on bringing people together, it is wonderfully exciting to think that very soon families will be coming through our doors and enjoying the wonders of the natural world once again.”

He added: “Five months ago, during a bleak storm, as pumps strained, the side of the pit burst forth with water which had built up underground and it was scarcely imaginable that we would find ourselves reopening.

“But now, we have used the major repair works to design a magnificent waterfall set against the backdrop of the Rainforest Biome and add a stunning feature to our landscape in due course.”

Over the last five months, landscaping teams have carried out extensive repairs to a section of the main visitor access road and drainage systems, pathways and other hard and soft landscaping and paths which were covered in mud and rubble during the floods and landslips of December.

All areas are safe and ready as Eden reopens, said Si Bellamy, Eden’s Chief Activation Officer.

“It has been a total team effort supported by many of the original specialists who designed and constructed Eden at the turn of the millennium. Our brilliant engineers and construction crews will remain on site to complete the repair,” he said.

“Eden now looks different in the areas of the landslips and our new designs for the waterfall are progressing. We want to tell the story of water in a new and compelling way for our visitors.”

Eden is continuing to limit guest numbers and has timed ticketing so that social distancing can be maintained with confidence. Tickets must be pre-booked online through www.edenproject.com.