Due to the projects proximity to a major waterway, as well as the links to the maritime industry through Cammell Lairds, the protection and enhancement of water quality in the River Mersey was a crucial developmental factor. The proposed park will protect the river by filtering nitrates leaching from the soil into the water supply and reducing surface water runoff, keeping phosphorus and other pollutants out of the river. By absorbing rainfall the parkland will also reduce the risk of flooding as well as creating floodplains in the unfortunate event of a significant flood, protecting the property and safety of the population. The abundance of trees on site will provide a natural drainage system to aid in water interception, storage and infiltration whilst also increasing evaporation potential.
overall environmental strategy. The schemes environmental strategy outlines key points that the individual buildings will have to comply with. The individual buildings’ environmental policy will ensure that buildings will be designed with aims towards Passivhaus standards and that local materials will be used where possible. This policy will be included in the design brief issued to architects designing the individual buildings within the masterplan. The projects energy ambitions are linked with Cammell Lairds involvements in offshore wind farms. The shipyard is currently working as a base port for the construction of the Gwynt y Môr wind farm in the Irish Sea (See appendix, Reference 3). Assuming the success of the project currently underway, the company could use the knowledge and experience gained in the endeavour to create its own offshore wind farm to service the new urban design proposals as well as a larger portion of the Northwest, vastly reducing the demand on energy extracted from fossil fuels.
The maritime research and training facilities, which are integral to the scheme, include departments whose intentions lie in cleaning up our planets waters including research into the reduction of plastics and other pollutants from our oceans and the re-establishment of the populations of marine wildlife. As well as restoring the equilibrium of our planets waterways, their primary work should lead to significant improvements in the quality of the waterways immediately surrounding our project in and around Merseyside. The structures proposed will be built and designed in an environmentally aware and conscious way with long term sustainability in mind. Each building’s environmental credentials will be assessed individually, ensuring they tie in with the 49