Background
The Liverpool Waters scheme is an ambitious 30-year vision to transform the city’s northern docks comprehensively. The Peel Group, working in partnership with Liverpool City Council, the UK government and other stakeholders, secured outline planning consent in 2013 to provide a high-quality, mixed-use development including office space, residential units, hotel and conference facilities on 60 hectares of former dockland along Liverpool’s waterfront.
Scope of services
RSK Biocensus conducted wintering and breeding bird surveys following the monitoring strategies set out within the neighbourhood ecological and biodiversity strategies (NEBS), which were required for planning permission.
Wintering bird surveys focused on qualifying species of the internationally designated sites near the docks (Ribble and Alt Estuaries Ramsar and Dee Estuary Special Protection Area). Breeding bird surveys focused on key species including black redstart, peregrine, little ringed plover and tern.
In addition, RSK Biocensus was commissioned to undertake the following surveys at Princes Dock:
- water quality monitoring
- sediment quality monitoring
- zooplankton and algae, macroinvertebrates, fish and invasive species surveys.
Undertaken in accordance with the NEBS, our work provided an up-to-date baseline ecological dataset for the scheme.