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Mersey Waterfront spatial strategy

CABE’s enablers helped Mersey Waterfront regional park to develop its sub-regional spatial strategy in 2007.

The development of a spatial strategy for the Mersey Waterfront regional park was a key element of a wider economic plan for the region. The spatial strategy aims to develop the economic potential of the regional park while retaining its environmental quality.

CABE’s enablers were brought in and helped deliver the final spatial strategy. This identifies 14 key locations as focal points for future development and 10 external locations providing panoramic views of Mersey Waterfront regional park.

How CABE’s enabling helped

  • acted as an independent advisor
  • gave a steer to the consultant team
  • ensured that the client got the most benefit from the consultant’s work
  • highlighted the breadth of issues that needed consideration
  • helped to clarify the message
  • connected the aims of the project by relating environment more closely to leisure, tourism and economic benefits
  • gave the project kudos, credibility and an independent voice.

Ideally, the client would have liked the enabler in place earlier to help shape the consultant’s brief. However, the client was certain that having CABE’s enablers on board achieved a better result.

Background

The Mersey Waterfront regional park is the most prominent and successful regional park in the North West. It attracts significant funding for delivering a range of waterfront projects and covers 135km of estuary and coast in seven local authority areas.

The regional park zone extends from Southport marine lake in the north to Parkgate in the Wirral to the south. The eastern edge is marked by the Trans-Pennine trail where it crosses the Mersey in Warrington.

71% of the Mersey Waterfront regional park is designated for its international, national or local wildlife and habitat value. The terrain varies from large areas of estuarine mud flats to some of the UK’s finest dune landscapes. These provide a rich home for rare and valuable species of plants and animals.

Unlike many other regional parks, the Mersey Waterfront regional park had been operating largely as a programme with the advantage that projects and funding were delivered swiftly.

The disadvantage was that there was no way of measuring a project’s worth to the regional park. In addition, the regional park lacked a sense of identity, making it difficult to brand and market.

Need for a strategic framework

It was decided that a strategic framework would allow the regional park concept to be more effectively embedded in local statutory decision making across the area. The objectives of the strategic framework would be to:

  • establish a vision for the park to 2020
  • analyse current and planned facilities
  • review and set out the strategic context
  • define the place both in terms of the geography and the characteristics
  • advise on quality benchmarks
  • set out a framework for investment priorities to 2020
  • consider and make recommendations for a future organisational structure.

The initial strategic framework was prepared by Gillespies LLP and included a clear vision:

“to transform, energise and connect the Mersey waterfront assets to create a unique sense of place for people who live, work, visit and invest in the Liverpool City Region”.

The framework outlined three overall aims for the spatial strategy:

  • economic regeneration of the waterfront
  • promotion of leisure and recreation activities
  • preservation of the environment.

Enabling process

CABE’s lead enabler on this project, Nerys Jones, is known for her work on green infrastructure and with the Lancashire Economic Partnership. After a suggestion by the North West regional development agency (NWRDA) she attended steering group meetings from October 2006 to March 2007 as well as a seminar with a number of other agencies.

The enabler and the steering group ensured that the consultants’ work was being tested and addressed the brief. They commented on draft reports and provided expertise to help shape the final document.

Changes to the initial strategic framework

The initial strategic framework focused on leisure and recreation rather than the economic or environmental aims. CABE’s enabler corrected this imbalance and made the connection between all three aims, relating the environment more closely to leisure/tourism and regional economic benefits.

CABE’s enabler also:

  • drew on her knowledge of the region to point out missing detail, influencing the geographical extent of the park
  • provided access to good practice by instigating visits to the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership and Emscher Park
  • attended an internal meeting with the consultants which furthered understanding about the team’s deliberations and dynamic.

Governance

The Mersey Waterfront regional park sits within the Merseyside Partnership but has a separate board and a local authority as an accountable body. Governance was therefore not an issue and no CABE input was required on this aspect.

Project Team

Mersey Waterfront:

  • Louise Goodman, director
  • Carole Carroll, deputy director

CABE’s enabler:

  • Nerys Jones