Impact case study database

The impact of research is seen in two areas, 1. delivering successful interventions and tools for low-carbon growth that facilitate the development of a low-carbon economy in the Northwest and Liverpool City Region, and 2. new, low-carbon products and services that have led to increased market share, employment and environmental credentials for SMEs.

1. Interventions and Tools

Impact has been realized in the development, implementation and recognition of an award-winning business-support approach that utilizes structural funds to successfully support small businesses in achieving their low-carbon innovation ambitions [3.1]. In addition to the SMEs themselves, the beneficiaries of achieving this high-level impact have been the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership, the funders (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), and the collaborating HEIs in terms of new business collaborations.

The achievements of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation (CGE) for the Northwest region were externally audited by Amion in 2014 [5.1]. The findings of this independent audit illustrated the aggregate effects of the CGE, to which research cited above equipping SMEs with an understanding of what is needed to achieve low-carbon growth and how to evaluate their success, was instrumental. At the time of the audit, the CGE had assisted 147 businesses (p.40). The CGE had created 166 gross jobs - a net addition of 125 jobs (p.46). In relation to longer-term project targets, Amion identified 236 net additional jobs and £35.1 M net additional GVA by 2018 (p.ii). The success of the CGE model for delivering business support was underlined by its value for money, audited at £20,922 per additional job compared with a regional benchmark of £37,600 per additional job. This gave a return on investment ratio of 5.5:1 by the end of 2017 compared with a regional ratio of 1.8:1 and a national average of 2.8:1 (p.58). The audit identified the environmental benefits of the CGE, saving 27,000 tonnes of CO₂ by 2017 and exceeding its 2022 target savings in water and material use by 2016, with reductions of 78,000 and 60,000 tonnes, respectively.

The success of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation as a HEI-Business collaboration model for knowledge exchange and commercialization has been recognized across the HEI sector through the 2015 PraxisUnico RCUK award for ‘Outstanding KEC Initiative’ [5.3a], and for developing new eco-innovative products and services with ambitious small businesses through the 2015 Green Gown award for Research and Development [5.3b]. The CGE achievements are the foundation of a recently published BEIS Science and Innovation Audit on the capacity and capability of the North West Coastal Arc™ Partnership for Clean and Sustainable Growth [5.4, p.20-21 ].

In recognition of our Centres’ successes in delivering low-carbon growth in Liverpool City Region from European structural funding [3.1] both the Amion and Inner City Solutions evaluations conclude that the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation was successful “ increasing innovation activity and in strengthening the performance of beneficiary SMEs in the North West” [5.1, p.62 ] and that the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory “ provided valuable support to businesses in Liverpool City Region that are seeking to inject low carbon practices to their operations” ( [5.2, p.56 ]. The Head of Low Carbon at Liverpool City Region’s Local Enterprise Partnership further affirms the role of the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory in stimulating clean growth in the city region [5.4, p.10 ], and the Principal Environment Officer, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority identifies that the “ Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory is fundamental to securing the creativity and innovation that we need to achieve our zero carbon goals” and that “ the partnership work championed by the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory represents the best of Liverpool City Region and shows that clean growth as a city region is well within our grasp” [5.5]. The Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory has been further recognised in the maritime sector by 2020 Mersey Maritime Industry Award for Environmental Impact for supporting more than 160 businesses in Liverpool City Region in achieving their low-carbon ambitions [5.3c].

The regional contact for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has further advised other Local Enterprise Partnerships on the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation and Low Carbon Eco-innovatory methodology as being an effective means for delivering low-carbon growth, substantial business support, and for assessing the GHG reductions from the resulting products/services [5.6]. Research examining the resource life-cycle of the businesses supported by our Centres has underpinned a new environmental assessment methodology that captures the success of European projects in terms of their resource savings [3.2].

Novel academic insight [3.3, evidenced through 31 citations and new research activity ] and enthusiasm around motivations and perspectives on green businesses has also been instrumental in fostering wider engagement in the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation model across Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and HEIs in the NW and North Wales. This has led to a new pan-LEP project (EcoI-NW, 2020-2023).

2. New, Low-Carbon Products and Services

The impact of research undertaken in the NW and Liverpool City Region is evidenced by bringing new products and services to market, increasing market share, business revenue, employment, and reduced costs. The Inner City Solutions audit of the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory [5.2] identified the main sectors supported as advanced manufacturing, visitor economy and the arts, maritime operations, digital and creative, and food production. In terms of satisfaction, “ *Survey results reveal very high levels of satisfaction among LCEI’s clients and the project team is well positioned to build on this momentum and play a key role in driving forward low carbon activity in the city-region.*” ( [5.2, p.3 ].

In evidencing the impact of the research delivered through the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation and Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory in combination, it is challenging to normalize the experience across the range of SMEs involved, particularly as the needs of each business were highly specific and the nature of support provided was bespoke to those needs. Several examples of this research and development are presented in the Amion audit of the CGE [5.1], the Inner City Solutions audit of the LCEI [5.2] and the BEIS Science and Innovation Audit [5.4]. With regard to the specific impact of research undertaken by University of Liverpool colleagues in UoA14, this is exemplified through the products and services developed with Marlan Maritime Technologies Ltd. and MM Sensors Ltd. The new, radar-based coastal monitoring tool [3.4, 3.5, 3.6] has opened up new and diverse markets for Marlan, particularly as it is extremely cost effective when compared with previous survey solutions. The product is gaining traction in the areas of port navigation and coastal monitoring, particularly amongst the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales, local authorities with coastal defence responsibility, and coastal engineering companies. In support of Marlan’s Highly Commended recognition for Coastal Management at the EA’s Flood and Coast Excellence Awards in 2020, the Chair of the monitoring programme stated “By continuously observing the immediate nearshore zone adjacent to the seawall over £2M efficiencies have been gained… This sustainable approach is readily transferable to other coastal authorities and provides visible evidence to the local community allowing them to understand and adapt to coastal change.” [5.7]

Marlan have benefitted in terms of increased contracts (including involvement in academic research projects in the UK and overseas), turnover, Gross Value Added and staffing, but also in terms of expanding and differentiating their commercial offer [5.8]. Marlan Maritime Technologies and the National Oceanography Centre also received KTP funding from InnovateUK to further develop the survey capacity of the ‘ RAPIDAR’, thus enabling the original Centre for Global Eco-Innovation graduate researcher to become Director of Research at Marlan (along with an additional job created). This KTP was awarded an ‘Outstanding’ grade in January 2019 [5.9a].

MM Sensors now offer the Synoptic-4D data product package as defined for the Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme Framework issued by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in terms of providing data on intertidal topography subtidal bathymetry, surface current, wave spectra, tidal level and observed local meteorology. End-user beneficiaries of the radar monitoring application so far have been local authorities with a responsibility for coastal management and protection (Sefton and Wyre councils), Peel Ports, the Environment Agency and Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd., as well as coastal research and consultancy organizations [5.8]. This offer is now being rolled out to Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent & the Grenadines and to the Port of Beira in Mozambique, although delivery has been paused due to COVID-19.

Marlan Maritime Technologies Ltd. have been recognized for their innovation and achievement within the NW region by receiving the Merseyside Innovation Award in 2017 [5.9b], across the maritime sector through the Mersey Maritime Award in 2018 [5.9c], and in receiving Highly Commended recognition in coastal management at the EA’s Flood and Coast events in both 2019 and 2020 [5.9d&e]. Their Director of Research also received the Mersey Maritime Rising Star Award 2020 for his achievements in developing new coastal monitoring tools and methods [5.9f].

Insights from the body of research described above have been pivotal in instigating a change in the system by which local authorities secure developer contributions. In the past this system had two notable shortcomings. Firstly, a lack of flexibility prevented local authorities from matching policy and practice on developer contributions to the character of local real estate markets. Secondly, the system exacerbated spatial inequality as it was strongly biased towards areas of high demand, such as the South East of England. Liverpool-led research for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in 2016-17 ( 5.1) identified these features of the previous system and pointed to ways in which they could be reformed.

This work was published on the same day (5^th March 2018) that the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, launched a consultation on the overhaul of the English planning system at the national planning conference. One of the outcomes of this process was the legislative reform of the instruments under which local authorities secure developer contributions ( 5.2). This legislation and accompanying policy guidance represents three specific reforms that were influenced by the earlier work led by academics at Liverpool: (I1) the removal of restrictions on the pooling of negotiated contributions, (I2) the rollout of the Community Infrastructure Levy and (I3) providing greater flexibility to local authorities in the management of developer contributions. These reforms have resulted in a step change with respect to the value and geographic distribution of exacted developer contributions.

Subsequent research for MHCLG ( 5.3) led by Liverpool has been instrumental in supporting the continued legislative reform of the process by which developer contributions are secured. In this regard testimony from the Ministry ( 5.4, 5.5) clearly acknowledges the influence of our research on proposals for extending the reform of developer contributions policies contained the White Paper, Planning for the Future ( 5.6) .

National policy

Our 2016/17 study of the value and incidence of developer contributions in England ( 5.1; 5.3) provided the basis for a range of policy reforms as explained in testimony from MHCLG ( 5.4):

“The report is an important component of the evidence on developer contributions and has helped inform policy development. For example, the findings of the report contributed towards MHCLG’s consultation on Supporting Housing Delivery through Developer Contributions, which included figures and tables from the report, and also the viability section of the Draft Planning Practice Guidance, both of which MHCLG published on 5 March 2018.”

Local authorities have two instruments available to them in order to raise developer contributions. Firstly, they can negotiate a ‘Section 106’ planning agreement with the developer in question. These agreements generally result in public goods provided as in-kind benefits such as a specified number of affordable homes. Historically contributions have been restricted to the site under development. The 2016/17 study showed that this restriction on local authorities’ ability to pool developer contributions from multiple sites was inhibiting their ability to negotiate effectively and restricting finance for larger scale infrastructure projects. Our recommendation that the pooling restrictions be removed was implemented by government through legislation that came into effect from 1^st September 2019. The second instrument for raising contributions is the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a charge on development usually expressed as “£X per square metre of developed space”. The cash contributions that result from CIL can be used to finance infrastructure investment which, in many cases, may be a stimulus to subsequent investment by the development industry. Our research has showed that implementing CIL in areas where it is viable can help local authorities secure a higher aggregate value of developer contributions ( 5.1, 5.3) The influence of this finding can be seen in the increased adoption of CIL amongst local authorities: at the end of the financial year 2016/17, 39% of local planning authorities had adopted CIL, rising to 50% at the end of March 2020 with a further 18% of local authorities in the legal process of adopting the CIL at this date ( 5.3, page 13).

Increased investment

Our second piece of research for MHCLG was commissioned for the financial year 2018/19 ( 5.3) and evaluated the impact of the reforms introduced through the legislative changes that came into effect from 1^st September 2019. This work showed that the aggregate value of developer contributions in England had grown from GBP6,000,000,000 as at the end of the financial year 2016/17 to GBP7,000,000,000 by the close of the 2018/19 financial year. Our report showed that the removal of the pooling restrictions had been universally welcomed by planning professionals and the development industry alike and was found to have acted as a stimulus to the exaction of developer contributions and their corresponding investment. This additional GBP1,000,000,000 of investment represents a significant increase in funding for a range of public goods with clear social, environmental and economic effects: an extra GBP628,000,000 for affordable housing, GBP134,000,000 for transport and travel infrastructure, GBP198,000,000 for educational premises and GBP42,000,000 for open space and the environment ( 5.3: page 45).

Redistributed investment

Our report for MHCLG in 2018/19 ( 5.3) also showed that the aggregate GBP7,000,000,000 of developer contributions in England had been raised and invested in a more geographically equitable manner than was previously the case. This is contributing to rebalancing and ‘levelling up’ the UK economy. The change is driven by two factors. Firstly, the authorities that have newly adopted CIL between 2016/17 and 2018/19 are disproportionately outside London and the South East. This means that the benefit to authorities where CIL can be a valuable way of exacting cash contributions has been felt most in regions of England where CIL was not previously widely adopted. Secondly, when the adoption of CIL is coupled with the removal of the pooling restrictions some local authorities have been able to secure considerably greater sums through developer contributions. These two impacts (I1 and I2) have combined to provide local authorities with greater local control to devise (behavioural) strategies that combine CIL and negotiated practices to maximise developer contributions (I3). The 2018/19 report ( 5.3) illustrates a fundamental re-balancing of how developer contributions are raised and invested with most regions seeing very significant growth. For example, the North West and East Midlands saw their share of the national aggregate total more than double: GBP334,000,000 more was exacted in the East Midlands in 2018/19 than in 2016/17; GBP231,000,000 more in the North West ( 5.3: page 48). Similarly, the North East recorded a 50% increase and both Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands saw 25% and 20% increases respectively compared to 2016/17.

Continuing influence on national planning policy

The scale of the increase in developer contributions recorded by our work for MHCLG has prompted government to initiate proposals to extend the reform of policy on developer contributions. In commenting on our work ( 5.3), testimony from MHCLG ( 5.5) clearly acknowledges that the proposals that pertain to developer contributions in the 2020 White Paper, Planning for the Future ( 5.6) , were developed using evidence resulting from our work:

“The report is an important component of the department’s evidence base on developer contributions and has helped inform policy development. For example, the findings of the report contributed towards MHCLG’s consultations on Changes to the current planning system, which included findings from the report, and Planning for the future: White Paper August 2020, which also included findings from the report, both of which were published on 6 August 2020”

This point is further corroborated in testimonial by the Permanent Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee ( 5.10): “The direct effect on national policy making of this work is clear and undisputed.”

Influence on planning practice

Beyond the impact our work has had on national planning policy and legislation we have also worked directly with planning practitioners to help them make the most of the reformed system of how developer contributions are exacted. How local authorities choose to implement national policy on developer contributions can have a significant bearing on local outcomes. For example, the choice of whether or not to adopt CIL is a local decision as are questions about the rate at which it should be set, how different methods of exaction might be combined and how the proceeds of developer contributions should be invested. Our research has enabled local authorities to use behavioural insights to attune the mix of developer contributions policies to local circumstances. For example, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority recognise ( 5.7):

“the important input of Professor Alex Lord and Dr Richard Dunning by way of expert advice and support to the Combined Authority on brownfield land viability and Land Value Capture.”

We have also worked directly with the two main professional representative agencies for the built environment in the UK – the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) - on development economics and value capture. The influence of our work on practice can be seen in testimony by the Director of Policy, Practice and Research at the Royal Town Planning Institute ( 5.9) who describes the “research excellence of the work that the University of Liverpool has undertaken for the Royal Town Planning Institute.” The effects of our work on policy and practice are further corroborated by the Permanent Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee ( 5.10) who notes that the work, “feeds into the practices employed by local authorities in securing planning obligations to secure benefits for local communities arising out of development”.

Realising benefits for deprived communities

Through engaging directly with local stakeholders, our research is also stimulating physical and economic regeneration in some of our home city’s most deprived communities. For example, our behavioural insights work resulted in a commission by a not-for-profit housing association, Cobalt Housing, to produce an extensive study of housing markets in the North Liverpool wards of Croxteth, Norris Green and Fazakerley. This work pointed to the potential for Cobalt’s developer contribution in this area to be made through the development of affordable lifetime homes for a vulnerable and ageing population. This work has been instrumental in informing Cobalt’s growth strategy in these three deprived wards where they plan to build 1000 new homes - explicitly to meet the needs of those experiencing deprivation in older age. Testimony ( 5.9) from Cobalt establishes that the decision to invest along with the type, tenure and location of the housing to be produced was directly influenced by our work:

“Directing our investment and using our position to support wider urban regeneration demands a thorough understanding of how our housing markets operate and the longer run social and demographic trends affecting our neighbourhoods. We find all this evidence and more in an Evidence Base to support Cobalt Housing’s Growth Strategy…It will play a formative role in determining our strategy for the development of Croxteth, Fazakerly and Norris Green.”

Effective policy decision making and informed public debate requires access to good quality data and measures which often do not exist. Research at the University of Liverpool has generated novel data products to improve our understanding of health and social inequalities, and has benefitted local (e.g. Local Authorities), national (e.g. Public Health England) and international (e.g. United Nations) policy makers, as well as informed the public and school children. Impact was achieved through our two pillars of research engagement:

Pillar 1: Enabling policy action through generating new data products

To enable effective policy action, governments require relevant data to underpin decision making. We have created new data products to address gaps in availability in two key areas:

(i) Supporting local and national public health intelligence in England

Dr Green’s research investigating how neighbourhoods contribute to health inequalities led to the generation of the most comprehensive open source database on healthy environments – Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards (AHAH). AHAH addressed skills and data gaps among local and national governments as detailed spatial data did not exist in a form that was easy to use previously, meaning decisions were being made without suitable data to support them.

The creation of a new indicator summarising how healthy environments are was adopted by Public Health England into their online toolkit 'Public Health Profiles' in November 2017 [5.1a].The system provides health-related data to all Local Authorities in England, helping to inform their policy planning and local decision making. In the 6 months following its release it was ranked as the 11th most popular indicator (out of 75) on their system. Public Health England described our contribution to their activities as “ …essential for addressing the lack of information we had on these indicators and our lack of technical skills for producing them” and “ AHAH index has improved our product by offering local public health analysts a unique means of understanding which areas have poor environments for health.” [5.1b].

AHAH recorded a total of 7432 unique views and 1071 unique downloads since their online publication including being used by 175 Local and 28 Central Government unique users [5.2]. Notable applications of AHAH for informing policy decisions to tackle health inequalities include: Key data for measuring spatial inequalities in air pollution by Gloucestershire Council to underpin their ‘Air Quality Action Plan’ [5.3a]; Integrated into an infographic to demonstrate the extent of poor quality environments in Tower Hamlets and the need for greater policy investment [5.3b].

The dissemination of AHAH has informed public learning and participation on how environments influence health. Dr Green was invited to debate an item on how healthy high streets are on the on the BBC News Channel (12.30pm 2^nd Nov 2018; BBC estimated 505k viewers). The AHAH resource has also been downloaded by 88 users from schools [5.2] including Shotley Community Primary School who co-designed with Dr Green (Sept to Dec 2019) projects investigating how their local area impacts health (e.g. food produced nearby and healthy eating exercises).

(ii) Informing the United Nations strategy on migration in Latin America

Dr Rowe’s novel open source methodology and software for making future data predictions on how internal migration patterns change local age structures have helped planning for future service needs. Dr Rowe’s research led to a commissioned report for United Nations’ (UN) Population Division in Latin America [5.4a]. Research findings were used to inform an expert group meeting at the UN in 2017 [5.4b], and the results from this commission were integrated into the Global Compact for Migration (GCM; 19 Dec 2018). GCM was the first-ever, UN global inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to approach migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

Pillar 2: Influencing policy and welfare decisions with novel data insights

Insights generated from geographic data research have directly benefitted UK Government health and welfare policy in three core areas:

(i) Revealing the health impacts of austerity

Dr Green’s research on austerity effects have become a key evidence in policy documents due to the timeliness of the work where there is a lack of alternative data available to assess the impacts of austerity on population health. The work has been used (citations and quotes) in major reviews by Public Health England, the Chief Medical Officer and Food Standards Agency [5.5], which have informed debates about changing policies about austerity due to the negative impacts on health being observed. The significance of the research has seen it covered in multiple national newspapers helping to maximise the reach to the public [5.6].

(ii) Leading policy debates about ethnic segregation

BAME groups are considerably disadvantaged in the labour market partly due to their experiences of segregation in society. Dr Catney’s research on inequalities in ethnic residential segregation informed the Department for Communities & Local Government’s Casey Review into Opportunity & Integration (citations, quotes and reproduced figures) [5.7a]. The review is one of the main sources informing national policy interventions for local communities and welfare relating to segregation and integration. The same research was extensively cited as evidence on ethnic inequalities in employment within the McGregor-Smith Review of Race in the Workplace [5.7b]. The report was used to inform the Department for Work and Pensions response to Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to increase ethnic minority participation in the labour market by 20% by 2020. The dissemination of Dr Catney’s research has also led to invitations to submit written evidence to All-Party Parliamentary Groups [5.7c]. These major reports and evidence committees have set out how to improve the social and economic circumstances and opportunities for some of the most vulnerable ethnic and migrant groups in the UK.

Racial prejudices, often misinformed about ethnic segregation or integration narratives, remain prevalent in the UK. Dr Catney’s segregation research has also informed the development of the Edexcel A-Level Geography curriculum (influencing 12,407 students in 2019; 39% of all Geography A-level students) to help ensure future generations continue to be well informed. Reproduced figures from Catney’s research provided a case study influencing how school children understand ethnic diversity and segregation [5.8].

(iii) Future planning for narrowing regional economic inequalities

Dr Rowe’s research on regional differences in economic performance and poverty identified long-term struggling neighbourhoods in Scotland and North England. Dr Rowe was invited in 2019 to supply evidence to the UK 2070 Commission on tackling inequalities about their work [5.9]. Dr Rowe’s research formed a key piece of evidence for setting out neighbourhood focused economic policies in the UK2070 Ten Point Action Plan which directly feeds into UK Government strategies for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 10 (reduce inequalities).

Coastal nations around the world face the challenge of historic misuse of their seas and the consequences of climate change on the oceans. We have worked directly with government agencies and stakeholders to develop practices to manage marine resources in a more sustainable way. These practices have been internalised by organisations which are now carrying them forward in the implementation of national and international policy. This is producing material outcomes in four marine areas: the Irish Sea, the North Sea, the Northeast Atlantic and South Africa’s seas. We have changed the way that agencies and stakeholders act, specifically under two themes.

4.1 Mobilisation of Stakeholders in the Governance of the Irish Sea

Good marine ecosystem-based management needs effective communication between government and stakeholders, ensuring knowledge transfer and better implementation of policy. We have brought stakeholders into the heart of governance of the Irish Sea in two areas of work.

4.1.a Stakeholder-informed Marine Conservation Zones

A programme for designating Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in English waters began in 03/2010 to protect habitats and species that are important, rare or under threat (under Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009). Regional stakeholder groups were tasked with proposing MCZs.

Kidd was brought in as independent chair of the Irish Sea Conservation Zones board (03/2010-04/2012), leveraging her knowledge from project work ( NAMEME and MSPIrishSea) and expertise in stakeholder-led approaches (3.1). As noted by a water management company Director (5.1.a), “Without Sue’s oversight… the Project would have suffered delays in delivery and a lower overall quality of recommendations”. Stakeholders (such as offshore renewables, fishing, shipping, recreation and conservation) were “reminded of their obligation to work together, focusing on their common vision rather than their own individual interests”.

These pre-2014 activities provided the essential capacity for subsequent impact. Crucially, the board recommended 15 MCZs, of which 10, covering 1,309km², were finally designated in 2019 (5.2.a, 5.2.b), and for which management measures are now being put in place. For example, the Cumbria Coast MCZ stretches along 27km, protecting 8 key features, including honeycomb worm reefs and rocky habitats; it includes England’s only breeding colony of black guillemots which are now protected from fishing nets during the nesting season thanks to a voluntary netting ban brought in as an MCZ measure (5.2.c).

4.1.b Irish Sea Maritime Forum

As a result of MSPIrishSea (3.2) , Kidd led the formation of the Irish Sea Maritime Forum (ISMF) in 06/2012 (5.3.a). This is a partnership of government agencies, industry, and environmental stakeholders from across all six Irish Sea jurisdictions. A Science Advisor of Historic England testifies (5.3.d), “The Irish Sea Maritime Forum exists due to Sue’s initiative, vision, and leadership skills. Its successes are largely due to her ability to encourage stakeholders to work together”. The Manger of the NW Coastal Forum states (5.3.c), “One of the key … benefits of the Forum includes building stronger networks between Irish Sea users.” Its importance is reflected in high-level political support; its current chair is a former Irish Senator (5.3.e). This has provided the platform for subsequent impact.

A 2018 stakeholder review demonstrated that ISMF provides the institutional structure needed to facilitate cooperative management of the Irish sea’s resources: “The Irish Sea is a natural unit… There is a clear need for transboundary cooperation which is met by the ISMF” (5.4.a).

Activities between 01/2014 and 02/2020, including well-attended conferences and stakeholder events (5.3.b), have benefitted members as revealed through a survey, for example (5.4.c):

• “Keeping up to date with all new development” (Northern Ireland Government)

• “Continued cooperation and understanding of issues/opportunities” (UK Agency)

• “Build capacity to respond to transnational issues” (Fisheries industry)

• “Having a wide range of stakeholders allows for better outcomes” (Planning Authority)

A former Liverpool Councillor states “decision makers, including myself, had our views changed and now, wind energy in the Irish Sea is a significant and growing economic and environmental benefit” (5.4.e).

In addition to these governance changes, impacts include: securing funding worth over €8 million for projects supporting EU Directives for environmental quality and marine planning; Blue Growth Prospectus for the Irish Sea Region 2015 setting out opportunities for shipping, blue energy, fisheries, blue biotechnology and tourism (5.4.b); and the Ireland-Wales Interreg project Ecostructure that developed concepts for multi-functional natural and hard sea defences (5.4.d).

4.2 Application of Tools for Implementing National and Regional Marine Legislation

Marine ecosystem-based management needs practical approaches that can be used to implement policy and legislation effectively. We have developed tools to enable national agencies to manage their marine resources in the context of two legislative frameworks: the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive and South Africa’s Marine Spatial Planning Act.

4.2.a Marine Management Strategies in the Netherlands, Ireland and beyond

The EU’s 2008 Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to address the deteriorating environmental conditions of European seas, requiring coastal Member States to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of their marine waters by 2020. However, there was no clear approach for reaching this target. Robinson led the ODEMM project that produced a pressure assessment tool (3.3, 3.4) which enables decision makers to identify the key human pressures acting on their marine ecosystems and to select the best measures for achieving GES (5.5.a,).

Government agencies have now applied this tool to advise governments in Ireland and the Netherlands. It was adopted in 2014 in Ireland to assess the threats to marine environmental status. This was the “first application of the ODEMM framework… completed for Ireland’s marine waters” (5.6.b). The findings were used to advise the Irish government on the selection of management measures which since 2018 have now been used to achieve recovery of Irish marine ecosystems. A Principal Investigator for Ireland’s Marine Institute confirms, “We have carried this out using the assessment approach …developed by Dr Robinson” (5.6.a).

In the Netherlands, the tool has been adapted to underpin selection of management measures in 2018-20 which are now being used to achieve the GES objectives across Dutch marine waters and the broader North Sea. The Dutch principal Investigator on marine ecosystem-based management states, “The risk-based pressure assessment approach developed by Dr Robinson’s team is a really significant contribution to the field because it allows managers the ability to weigh up different options for sustainable use of marine ecosystems. Without this, single-sector based approaches miss the significant effects of multiple pressures acting on marine species and habitats” (5.6.c).

The tool has also been used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), an intergovernmental marine science organisation for the Northeast Atlantic (5.7a). The ODEMM tool is now a key part of the technical guidance for the ICES Ecosystem Overviews (5.7b), the first set of which were published in 2019-20 and have affected decisions on ecosystem-based management across the region over this time-frame. The ICES Chair testifies, “Leonie’s work in the field of ecosystem-based marine management has made a very significant contribution to the field both in Europe and across the broader Atlantic region” (5.6a).

4.2.b Marine Spatial Planning in South Africa

Marine spatial planning (MSP) has been introduced by many coastal nations to provide an integrated approach to regulated marine industries; it is now central to marine policy and practice in Europe. MSP was identified as a national priority in 2014 in South Africa, to help manage its extensive and internationally significant marine waters straddling the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with great ecological diversity and social and economic importance.

Following his leadership of MSP projects and his international reputation (3.5, 3.6), Jay was invited onto South Africa’s National Working Group tasked with producing the National Framework for Marine Spatial Planning, 09/2015-03/2016. He was the sole academic in the group, working alongside representatives of government departments. Jay led on the practical section of the Framework, setting out the steps and timeline to be followed by the government department now responsible for MSP in South Africa. He encouraged the adaptation of MSP to the South African context, such as MSP being a tool for redressing historic racial injustices.

The Framework was approved by the Minister of Environmental Affairs in 05/2017 (5.8.b). It is cross-referenced in South Africa’s Marine Spatial Planning Act 05/2018 (5.8.c). Jay’s involvement was coordinated by the German agency for international cooperation who provided logistical support to the process, and described him as having a “significant role” and “an important role in developing the procedural aspects of the Framework” (5.8.a).

The initial stages of the Framework are now being carried out (5.8.d). Firstly, a data portal has been developed that gathers, and makes publicly available, digital data on a wide range of marine characteristics and human activities, providing the evidence base for the marine plans (5.9.a). Secondly, four bioregional Marine Planning Areas have been designated. Work is now beginning on the first of these, the Eastern Cape region. Jay continues to support this process. A Director at the Dept of Environment, Forestry & Fisheries confirms that Jay is “currently facilitating international exchange… between government agencies responsible for marine spatial planning in the Global South” (5.9.b).

In the past, Planning for how land is used and developed has been perceived as being disconnected from the places it affects, with limited involvement from the communities it serves. In England, the 2011 Localism Act changed the structures of the planning system, abolishing regional planning and introducing Neighbourhood Planning, ostensibly to give more power to city-regions and communities. A body of spatial Planning research at the University of Liverpool has empowered communities and city regions in England to take up the opportunities now available to them to develop their own plans for their own areas. This research has also influenced policy and practice in other international contexts, as discussed below.

The Localism Act 2011 opened up “new channels for democratic participation by citizens” (Ref 2, p. 1325), enabling them to prepare their own Neighbourhood Plans and thus exercise more influence over development taking place in their communities. Our research on Planning at the neighbourhood scale is empowering communities and helping them to participate in Planning through active neighbourhood planning groups, building capacity and improving understanding of effective Planning, thus increasing the reach of the Localism Act. Communities receive very limited grant support for Neighbourhood Planning activity, so additional support where other professional help is unattainable is invaluable in building capacity and enabling them to produce their own Neighbourhood Plans (Ref 3).

Dr Sturzaker, with support from undergraduate students, has directly educated five communities across Liverpool, from 2013 onwards. This is part of a rolling programme of support for individual communities. Engage Liverpool, a local charity with whom researchers have worked, state that this work “has built capacity for Neighbourhood Planning in communities which, due to their demographic or socio-economic characteristics, have found it difficult to engage in the reforms introduced by the 2011 Localism Act” (Ref 5.1). One community that has benefited from the support, the Wavertree Triangle group, state that the programme has “enhanced the community’s engagement in Neighbourhood Planning” (Ref 5.2). Additional Impact is demonstrated by Dr Sykes’ membership of the L8 Neighbourhood Planning Group, which serves an intensely deprived area of Liverpool. The group is benefitting from increased understanding of and participation in Planning as a result of Dr Sykes’ action research as a full member of the group. This builds upon his ongoing engagement in the area, including evidence submitted to a public inquiry into the proposed redevelopment of the Welsh Streets neighbourhood in 2014. The Welsh Streets Home Group (WHSG) comment that Dr Sykes’ work meant that the WHSG were “able to effectively counter existing developer narratives, and work towards a plan that included a more equitable approach to planning. This proved invaluable to the residents whose homes were reprieved for refurbishment after a 9 year battle with the local authority. Dr. Sykes was an important contributor to the process” (Ref 5.3) . The planning application was subsequently refused, as argued for by Dr Sykes in his evidence. Dr Sykes’ profile in this area is such that he was interviewed on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 in April 2017 (Ref 5.4).

Dr Sturzaker’s research on the status of Neighbourhood Plans across the 40 Local Planning Authorities in the North West of England has been used by Planning Aid England, who recognise the “ important contribution” to “ policy and practice around Neighbourhood Planning in the North West of England” (Ref 5.5). Planning Aid England is a charitable body helping individuals and communities engage with the planning system. They have used this research to target the support they offer to community groups to assist them with the production of Neighbourhood Plans, improving the quality and quantity of Neighbourhood Plans, and making more efficient use of resources: “ This database has subsequently been used to direct Planning Aid activity, including engaging with local planning authorities to generate more support from them for Neighbourhood Planning; and in targeting our limited volunteer resources to the communities where we can be of most help. These activities have built capacity for Neighbourhood Planning in deprived communities in the North West” (Ref 5.5). By influencing local planning authorities (decision and policy makers), this work is reducing barriers to Neighbourhood Planning identified in our research (Refs 3.2 and 3.3).

The North West Neighbourhood Planning network was co-founded by Dr Sturzaker and Dr Sykes to share good practice on this issue. The network is a platform for collaboration between Neighbourhood Planning groups across the North West of England, enabling them to learn from each other and build greater capacity for community-led Planning, demonstrated to assist with Neighbourhood Planning (Ref 3.1). Planning Aid England agrees that the network, through events and online activity is “ raising awareness of, and building capacity for, Neighbourhood Planning in the region” (Ref 5.E) .

Planning activity has been rescaled to give city-regions greater control over development in their areas. This has been achieved through direct engagement with city-regional and national governing bodies. Specific examples for the Liverpool City-Region, Seoul (South Korea) and France are given to demonstrate this reform.

Over a four-year period since 2016, Dr Sturzaker and Prof Lord have made direct contributions to the first Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) of the Liverpool City-Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). The SDS is a blueprint for the development and use of land for the next 15 years. The policies that make up the strategy will be considered when determining planning applications across the City Region, affecting one million, six hundred thousand residents. Liverpool’s Spatial Economic Audit, published in 2016 (Ref 5.6), is a key evidence base for policies within the SDS. The Audit enabled plan-makers to better understand the City Region in order to develop a better-informed strategy. Following the utility of the Liverpool audit, in February 2019 the LCRCA commissioned Dr Sturzaker and the Royal Town Planning Institute to develop a bespoke climate resilience policy for the SDS (Ref 5.7). This involved educating Planning professionals on best practice to ensure the policy could robustly protect the city region from the worst effects of climate change. The LCRCA explains the value of this (Ref 5.8): “ The recent work led by Dr. Sturzaker on best practice in strategic policy for climate resilience has been important in raising our team’s awareness of different policy options in use elsewhere, building our capacity around climate resilience, and in shaping how the Spatial Planning team positions itself with partners, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful policy delivery.”

For the last three years, Dr Nurse has been an advisor to the Mayor of Seoul on urban regeneration, influencing planning practice and policy at a city-regional level. For example, Dr Nurse is the only UK adviser on the International Strategy Committee Meeting for the Establishment of the Changdong-Sanggye Industrial Cluster. The Cluster is a 380,000m² former industrial site undergoing regeneration including a large employment hub and stadium and is the last major development site in Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has hosted Dr Nurse on site in order to learn transferable lessons from his research on urban regeneration – specifically large-scale regeneration of land – in order to inform their Planning strategy. Dr Nurse also worked with Seoul Metropolitan Government to inform the sectoral nature of the industrial cluster providing evidence from Liverpool of EU-funded activity on innovation-driven regeneration. A senior member of the team in Seoul explained that Dr Nurse’s work helped them in “developing a new type of outside investment to Korean development project… [and] influenced the projects on the Changdong-Sanggye Industrial Cluster” (Ref 5.9).

The scaling of Planning policy in major French city regions is overseen by the French state’s inter-ministerial PUCA (Plan, Urbanisme, Construction, Architecture) unit. Since 2016 Dr Sykes has advised PUCA on housing and city regional governance and planning. His evaluation of existing activity, in the context of his own research, has directly influenced PUCA’s next pipeline of projects under the POPSU2 programme. As they have confirmed, Dr Sykes’ insights “helped to enrich our own knowledge and thinking on how to approach this policy area in the French context… [and] fed into the design and focus of our new research programmes” (Ref 5.10).