CPRE Backs Eco-Driven Planning in Liverpool City Region Strategy

CPRE Cheshire, Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester: Advocating for Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship

CPRE, The Countryside Charity, in Cheshire, Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester welcomes that many of the key drivers, such as positive climate resilience action, brownfield first policy, enhancement of biodiversity, and improvement of environmental health to address health inequalities and deprivation have policy focus in the stage 3 draft of Spatial Development Strategy for the Liverpool City Region. Spatial Planning | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk)

CPRE sets out overarching comments concerning rural planning relevant to the integration of strategic transport infrastructure, including better rail freight to the Port to avoid ‘needless harm’ to Rimrose Valley a well-loved and used country park in Sefton. Protecting and enhancing the coastline of Liverpool, Sefton, and Wirral with the internationally recognised ecological designations must be a priority.

The Charity also highlights the benefits of ‘countryside next door’ including the Green Belt around Halton, Knowlsey, and St Helens in detailed comments.  Too much greenfield land has already been allowed and caution should be shown.  More ambition for affordable housing and solar PV on rooftops were highlighted and less nibbling at ecological and planning designations designed to protect nature and to keep land open on a permanent basis were called for.  Regeneration of urban places when there is clearly so much brownfield land available to build needed development should rightly be at the heart of the spatial strategy.

Our team supports local groups in all the local authority areas to tackle health inequalities, promote brownfield re-use, stop loss of green fields for ‘needless development’ and supported local nature recovery strategies to halt nature’s decline through hands on hedgerow planting and representation on Nature Connected the local nature partnership..