A MERSEY Gateway project has won a national award.

Halton’s new bridge has received a prestigious accolade that recognises excellence in ecology and environmental management.

The project team came first in the stakeholder engagement category at the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) Best Practice Awards, and was also highly commended in the knowledge sharing section.

The awards highlight outstanding examples of environmental management on large-scale projects.

Dr Mark Hampton, the project’s lead ecologist, said: “Preserving and improving the natural environment surrounding the project and wider areas was a priority from the beginning.

“Winning this award is great – it really demonstrates the work the whole team has put in to engage with environmental stakeholders is the gold standard.”

The team had to show how it met a number of criteria, including how sensitive environmental issues were resolved.

“We demonstrated how we had worked with regulators to ensure the construction of the haul roads on the saltmarsh at the start of the project did not interfere with bird nesting season,” said Dr Hampton.

“We have made it our priority to inform, consult, involve and collaborate with these organisations but also to foster interest and engagement from the community.

“This is done through community engagement events, the establishment of volunteer groups and working closely with local schools to promote the project’s environmental benefits.”

Halton Council leader Cllr Rob Polhill said: “I would like to say well done to everyone involved.

"This is recognition of the extremely high standard of work that has been demonstrated from the project team since this project began.

“Any large-scale project has to pay careful consideration to its environmental impact.

"This nomination shows how important environmental and ecological considerations have been from the start.”