SUDS (sustainable urban drainage) plan showing water flow through a system of channels, water bodies, wetland and flood basins.
These are designed to receive, purify and detain surface run-off and river floods, preventing flooding on the developed land, which is raised above the flood plain by spoil used to excavate the lagoon and central canal.
The park's commercial units provide an economic rationale for the project, which involves the creative management of the its postindustrial flora and fauna to maximise wildlife habitat opportunities
A network of pedestrian and cycle paths opens up the riverside landscape for recreational use by local communities, currently cut off from it by roads and railways.