Green Sustainable Travel Corridors (GSTC) Programme -WP1 Otterspool Promenade Infrastructure Enhancement

The Strategic Green and Open Spaces Review Final Report 2016 identified the need for investment in a 'Green Web' network across Liverpool identifying four specific corridors overlaid into key highway priorities.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCR CA), together with a consortium of partners, including Merseytravel, the six Liverpool City Region (LCR) Local Authorities and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), have been awarded funding through the European Regional Development Fund's Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) programme and Transforming Cities Fund, to invest in a Green Sustainable Travel Corridors (GSTC) Programme, which aims to promote and incentivise sustainable travel, across the entire city region and includes associated biodiversity improvements.

Consortium partners are delivering a series of nine work packages: a series of cycling and walking upgrades on key corridors that will make up the Liverpool City Region Strategic Cycling & Walking network. They aim to introduce clearly defined direct routes which utilise off-road and segregated routes to encourage increased uptake in cycling and walking in the region. Green infrastructure enhancements include the planting of street trees and management of natural habitats, new meadows and woodland creation.

The overarching GSTC programme will deliver over 55km of cycling and walking upgrades on key corridors linking key housing sites in the region with employment and training opportunities and 49 hectares of new and upgraded habitats through the creation and management of new woodland, wildflowers and grassland and the planting of street trees alongside the cycling and walking routes.

GSTC Work Package 1 relates specifically to the southern corridor between Liverpool City Centre and Garston. Where 6.8km of upgraded cycle and walking facilities will link new key housing sites, at Festival Gardens and Port of Garston, with major employment sites in the city centre and Estuary Commerce Park, in Speke. Additionally, 6ha of habitat creation and enhancement, including wildflowers, tree planting and use of recycled substrates, where appropriate, will create natural wildlife corridors outside of the established park areas of Festival Gardens and Otterspool Park & Gardens. Liverpool City Council (LCC) Highways are delivering a series of junction enhancements along the highway whilst LCC Parks and Greenspaces are delivering green infrastructure elements along the Mersey Waterfront.

The Proposed Brief

The current brief relates primarily to a series of physical infrastructure elements, between Armstrong Quay, at Riverside Drive, Otterspool Promenade and Beechwood Road South, Cressington, with option to include some additional landscape/habitat features if budgets allow.

The waterfront is a unique asset and recreational resource however the coastal environment has taken its toll on the existing infrastructure. Since the start of COVID lockdowns people have been increasing