Electronic Precinct - February 1996

MERSEY ESTUARY MANAGEMENT PLAN: THE FIRST OF ITS KIND

An environmental code of practice for port operators and safeguarding measures and enhancement targets for key wildlife habitats and natural features are two of the proposals in a management plan just finalised for the Mersey Estuary; the first of a new wave of management plans which tackle the complexities and conflicts of urbanised estuaries in western Europe.

The Mersey Estuary Management Plan marks the culmination of more than three years' intensive effort on the part of the Mersey Basin Campaign and its consultants, the Department of Civic Design.

Professor Peter Batey, who directed the study, commented: 'The timing of the Plan could hardly be better. Real progress has been achieved over the last ten years in reducing pollution in the Mersey Estuary. Thanks to massive investment in water quality improvements, the reclamation of derelict land and new riverside developments, we can now think of the estuary as a great asset to the region, rather than something to be ashamed of.

''Just before Christmas, came the welcome news from the Government that the Inner Estuary is to receive Special Protection Area status under the EU Birds Directive. All of this points to the vital role that the Management Plan will play in guiding those who make decisions about the estuary's future.

'The Plan breaks new ground in environmental policy. The Mersey is the first highly-developed estuary in Western Europe for which a management plan has been prepared. Estuaries of this kind present a particularly difficult challenge in planning terms, given their inherent complexity, the wide range of issues to be confronted, and the large number of organisations with a vested interest in river activities.

Because there were no models to follow, a completely new approach was developed. The Plan's strategic policy framework establishes for the first time a common base for the systematic development of estuary policies and management measures.

The Mersey Plan is innovative in another important respect. This concerns the close working relationship that has developed between the University Team and the commissioning partners. Throughout the last three years, academic staff and postgraduate students in the Department of Civic Design have worked closely with local authorities, statutory agencies, local communities, voluntary organisations and the private sector to enable an agreed strategic planning framework to be developed for the estuary. In this way the University as an institution has demonstrated its commitment to the regional community, individual staff have been able to develop and apply their professional expertise, and future recruits to the planning profession have had the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience in a newly-emerging area of planning.

Copies of 'Mersey Estuary Plan: A Strategic Policy Framework' (104pp Illustrated), published by Liverpool University Press, may be obtained from Burston Distribution Services, Unit 2a, Newbridge Trading Estate, Newbridge Close, off Whitby Road, Bristol, BS4 4AX (Tel: 0117 972 4278 or Fax: 0117 971 1056).