Part of the Liverpool City Region will be developed into a ‘healthy new town’ as part of a new NHS initiative.

NHS England will look to shape the health of communities as 800 new homes are developed in Halton Lea in Runcorn, after the organisation announced the area would be one of 10 pilot sites across England.

The ‘Healthy New Towns’ project aims to take an “ambitious look at improving health through the built environment,” and will also be implemented at sites in Lancashire, the North East and southern areas of the country.

Halton Lea was picked after the NHS invited expressions of interest from developments around the country as part of its commitment to “dramatically improve population heath, and integrate health and care services, as new places are built and take shape” within its Five Year Forward View.

According to NHS England: “The development at Halton Lea, Runcorn has the potential to regenerate the area into a thriving community hub, with new opportunities for social and community activities, healthy retail provision and integrated housing, health and social provision.

“Our ‘One Halton’ model of care and support is focussed on enhancing services in the community and ensuring easy access to those services. We are focussing on developing a health and wellbeing ecosystem, with people at the heart of it, and an infrastructure that supports wellbeing and health.”

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