Our partners include Groundwork Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry City Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, and Coventry and Nuneaton Regeneration Zone.

This new study shows that people living in deprived neighbourhoods experience a lower quality environment, and demonstrates how improvements to the environment can have a positive effect on people’s health and quality of life.

Its recommendations look how we can make the most of opportunities to regenerate communities and encourage economic growth, while helping to address environmental inequalities.

The study was commissioned by the Environment Agency and its partners and was funded by us, Coventry Partnership, Coventry Regeneration Zone and the European Regional Development Fund.

It came about from the success of a similar report in East Birmingham and Solihull which has since led to our involvement in a major project to improve the River Cole for the benefit of the local community.

Work on the study took twelve months to complete, but it is now finished and the results will influence projects and future work in Coventry, North Warwickshire and Nuneaton.

Next Thursday’s launch will be attended by members and officers from the relevant local authorities and Warwickshire County Council, along with interested groups such as the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

Short presentations will be made by Steve Morley, Upper Trent Area Manager for the Environment Agency, and Bob Keith, Director of Groundwork Coventry and Warwickshire.

Project Manager, Rob Lunt, says: "We believe that improving the environment will help people’s health and quality of life. This report gives us a comprehensive set of actions we can build in to our regeneration and community plans to help us make Coventry, North Warwickshire and Nuneaton a better place to live."

The Coventry Partnership exists to narrow the gap between the richest and poorest areas of Coventry. David Galliers, the partnership’s development manager, explained why it had pledged the funds to get the work off the ground.

He said: "It is important to both understand and really target the problems affecting those in Coventry’s disadvantaged areas in order to find solutions. We are already using the results of this and other surveys to help improve the health of those living in our poorest neighbourhoods, through initiatives such as our national award winning Health Link Workers, which employs local people to help others access local health services.

"We part-commissioned the survey as it fits well within our priority to protect and improve the environment. By 2020 we hope that people in the city will see their neighbourhoods, parks and open spaces as more attractive and enjoyable places to be. The results of this study will help us achieve these aims."

The Coventry Partnership is also addressing environmental issues in its priority neighbourhoods and across the city via a range of initiatives funded through a Liveability Fund of £3.4 million.

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The Coventry Partnership brings together agencies across the city, building on the existing good links between organisations in the public, voluntary and business sectors.

The partners work together to find new ways to improve the lives of people who live or work in Coventry, with particular emphasis on helping those neighbourhoods and communities with priority needs.