A former Runcorn quarry will be transformed into a new habitat with wildlife meadows and ponds to help encourage biodiversity.

The project is the first of its kind in the Liverpool City Region and will see the 35-acre former Weston Quarry site turned into a green habitat, with 2.5km of new native species hedgerow being planted, along with enhanced areas of scrub and ponds stretching from the site to the adjacent local nature reserve at Runcorn Hill Park.

The scheme has been developed by Green Earth Developments Group  (GEDG) which has been working with ecological advisers Avian Ecology, Merseyside Ecological Advisory Service and Halton Borough Council to design a 'habitat bank' for biodiversity offsetting in Halton and the Mersey Valley. 

Offsetting is designed to compensate for the loss of natural habitats as a result of developments elsewhere.

As part of GEDG’s ‘Access to Nature Initiative’, work is underway with local primary schools to enable outdoor learning on the habitat bank. Children are also being encouraged to design informative signage for the site.

Securing a legal agreement - known as a Section 106 - from Halton Borough Council for the establishment and long-term management of the site was the final piece of the jigsaw to enable nature building operations to start.

GEDG said interest in the project has been high from developers in the area seeking to offset biodiversity losses from inward investment, housing and commercial developments in Halton and neighbouring authorities.

Lucinda Lay from GEDG, said: "This site offers so much potential for nature and people to co-exist and is another example of GEDG’s unique approach which delivers amazing nature gains alongside health and wellbeing benefits to the communities in areas in which we operate."

Weston Habitat Bank is the latest in a network of similar nature re-build developments underway by GEDG across the region, including projects in Wigan, Northwich, Middlewich, Chester and Greater Manchester.

 A Halton Council spokeswoman, added: "We welcome the creation of this habitat bank - the first in the Liverpool City Region.

"It will help improve biodiversity in the borough by transforming a piece of poor-quality land and will also support developers to achieve the necessary 10 per cent biodiversity net gain."

GEDG describes itself as 'a purpose driven ethical business' committed to re-purposing brownfield sites to help combat climate change and biodiversity loss. Other projects have included transforming former landfills, quarries, lagoons and chemical works into environmental assets.