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New riverside
park for Stonebridge
WORK has begun on the
digging of a new river channel for the River Alt at Stonebridge,
North Liverpool, in order to open up the river and create a new
riverside park.
The River Alt Restoration project will realign the section of the
river between the A580 East Lancashire Road and Parkstile Lane, and
is due to be completed in spring of next year.
Deculverting, also known as 'daylighting',
involves opening up buried watercourses and restoring them back to
more natural conditions. Currently a 300m length of river runs
underground within a concrete culvert; an enclosed channel.
Contractor William Pye is constructing a new, meandering 870m river
alignment, which will be at the heart of a restoration scheme that
re-naturalises the river corridor and provides a mosaic of habitats
and green space for the public to enjoy.
The project is led by the Cass Foundation, a Liverpool-based
charity, whose purpose is to improve people's physical and mental
health by enabling them to enjoy a healthy environment.
Richard Cass, Chair of the Foundation, said:- "There is
widespread evidence that giving people access to attractive green
space is very beneficial to their health. It can help with a wide
range of conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, depression,
cancer and general fitness. This project means we can create not
only a healthier river, but also a new green walking and cycling
route linking Stonebridge Business Park and Alt Park and, we hope,
eventually through to Croxteth Country Park".
The scheme will form an extension to an earlier project of Richard's
nearby, where Sugar Brook, a tributary of the Alt, was diverted and
new habitats created as part of Stonebridge Business Park. These
have been highly successful, resulting in breeding success for
swans, mallard and moorhen. The new river channel will create
valuable habitats for water vole and kingfisher, protected species
which are known to occur locally. Improving aeration and light
penetration in the water course will also locally enhance water
quality, flora and fauna.
The diversion of the water course away from the culvert plus the
increase in flood storage capaCity in the new channel will reduce
flood risk in the area.
Staff and students from the University of Liverpool, led by
Professor Janet Hooke, will be involved in monitoring and studying
the success of the project.
The route will also help connect Croxteth residents with the new
local retail centre recently announced for Stonebridge, on the
northern side of the East Lancashire Road.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, and Chair
of the Stonebridge Stakeholders Group, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy,
said:- "This is an important piece of work, which will make
use of the natural environment to create a stunning green setting at
the heart of the Stonebridge development area. Plans are
moving forward to deliver new shopping, leisure and education
facilities for Stonebridge, creating 1,000 jobs. This new river
channel will play an important role in our work to transform the
area and create an attractive, vibrant location for local people and
visitors alike."
The Cass Foundation is working in partnership with the Environment
Agency, Liverpool City Council and the Community Forest Trust. The
£1.5m funding has come from Liverpool City Council and the
Department of Food and Rural Affairs, through the Environment
Agency's Catchment Restoration Fund.
The Cass Foundation works with individuals, organisations and
communities to research, collaborate on, promote and deliver
projects that focus on health and the environment. It is running
twice-monthly Walk and Talk events for anyone interested in finding
out more about the River Alt Restoration project. Further
information will be available on their website or on Project Dirt,
the online network for community and environmental projects. |
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Thousands of
street lights to be replaced
THOUSANDS of Liverpool's
ageing street lights are to be replaced in a programme which will
produce millions of pounds of savings to the City. And the scheme
will deliver major environmental benefits to the City including
reduced carbon emission and night time pollution.
The Council's cabinet is to consider a recommendation that more than
20,000 of the existing yellow sodium lights, which have concrete
columns, be replaced with LED lights on steel columns.
The scheme will cost a total £7m but is seen as an investment which
will bring significant savings, estimated at £2.7m over its first
5 years,
It is intended to replace 12,000 of the existing lights during
2014/15 with the residential areas of the waterfront being targeted
first. This is is an area which has the greatest impact from salt
and rain, causing the street lights to have the highest failure rate
and the highest costs in replacement.
A second phase, during 2015/6 will involve installing 8,000 LED
lights in residential areas and replacing 1380 older lights along
key corridor routes.
In each of these phases there will be an 82% reduction in energy
consumption, producing savings of £533,000 per year.
There will also be a reduction in carbon emissions of approximately
1400 tonnes in each phase which as well as being environmentally
beneficial will also save £46,000 per year
On going maintenance costs will also be reduced by more than
£100,000 per year.
"This is good news in every respect.
It means we will have improved lighting levels where we are
introducing the new lights, making those areas safer.
We will be a greener City as the level of CO2 emissions will be
significantly reduced and night time pollution will be cut.
There will be long term financial benefits to Council taxpayers with
energy and maintenance costs being significantly reduced. We will be
using capital funding to pay for this programme but we really are
investing in the City's infrastructure to make considerable
savings." said Councillor
Tim Moore, cabinet member for transport and climate change.
A detailed assessment of the City's remaining 36,000 street lights
will be carried out with a view to them being replaced over a number
of years.
If the programme is approved, implementation will start shortly with
the first phase taking about eight months to complete.
The recommendation will be considered by the cabinet on 21 February.
Trust Board goes on the road again
A NHS trust Board is going on the road again to take
decision-making closer to the community. The directors of
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust will meet at:- West
Lancashire College, Hants Lane, Ormskirk, L39 1PX at 9am on
Wednesday 26 February.
Graham Slee, acting-chair of the Board, said:- "We know more
and more people want to attend our board meetings. So, we are now
holding meetings at community venues where we can accommodate more
members of the public and bring the business of the Trust closer to
local people."
The agenda will be available on the Trust website in advance of the
meeting. Supporting papers will be available on the day.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. Anyone with a special
requirement should contact the Trust in advance on:- 01704 704714. |
