A researcher has spent the summer looking at how evidence-based green infrastructure planning can inform the design of a major development in the North West, Atlantic Gateway.
Dr Gethin Evans' work focused on the Mersey Multi-Modal Gateway (3MG) and Mersey Gateway Bridge – two major investments within Atlantic Gateway which are set to transform Halton into an economic hub over the next decade.
Gethin spent three months analysing areas where green infrastructure delivery, such as planting trees or creating flood meadows, might be used to alleviate barriers to investment such as flooding, and mapping the results of his analysis.
Gethin's work is important because it shows how green infrastructure planning can help achieve the goals of sustainable growth of Atlantic Gateway, a crucial project for the local economy. The 3MG site and the Mersey Gateway Bridge are set to provide thousands of new jobs and attracting outside investment up to the value of £61m a year by 2030.
Susan Williams, Executive Director of Atlantic Gateway said: "With millions of public sector money invested in Atlantic Gateway so far, it's crucial to the economy of the area that the development succeeds so that it fulfils its economic potential.
"Green infrastructure interventions can help to combat the challenges facing a development. They can also produce multiple benefits, buffering against climate change and benefiting people and wildlife alike."