EDEN ON THE HORIZON
If there were any doubts about the economic and political importance of Morecambe’s Eden Project, both locally and nationally, they were dispelled by Rishi Sunak’s trip to the seaside.
It was a high-profile visit that took place within 24 hours of the announcement that the flagship development is to get £50m of government levelling-up cash.
Accompanied by levelling up secretary Michael Gove, the PM’s photo-shoot on the resort’s seafront was part of a tour of the North, which included Accrington, looking to assure Red Wall voters of the government’s intention to honour its investment promises to them.
It was also a chance to emphasise just how truly game-changing the newly renamed Eden Project Morecambe will be, not just for the seaside town but for Lancashire and the wider North West.
Around 300 high-quality green jobs are forecast to be directly created by the new attraction, with more than 1,000 additional new jobs supported across the region.
Annual visitor numbers are projected to be 740,000 and additional revenue brought into local businesses by Eden is set to exceed the £50m government investment within months of the project opening its doors to visitors.
City council leader Caroline Jackson summed it up, saying: “The visit by the Prime Minister and Michael Gove underscored the importance of the project to not just our district but the wider region and the great potential for what else we can do in the future.”
Mr Sunak and Mr Gove were given a tour of the site where the attraction will be built by Eden’s group chief executive Rob Chatwin and chief activation officer Si Bellamy, along with city council chief executive Mark Davies and Sarah Kemp, Lancaster University pro- vice chancellor.
They were shown plans while walking the site and met students from Lancaster and Morecambe College studying green skills courses in land-based subjects, renewable energy and construction.
There was also the opportunity to overlook the site from a balcony at the nearby Midland Hotel which was followed by a Q&A session for the local community.
Mr Sunak said: “It is fantastic that thanks to £50m in new government funding, the local community of Morecambe can start work on revitalising their seafront with a new Eden Project here in the North.
“The project is set to create thousands of new jobs, grow the local economy and boost pride across the community - a true example of levelling up in action.”
Rob Chatwin described it as an “incredible and momentous day”. He said: “The partners in Eden Project Morecambe are very proud of the project and excited about the future following the confirmation of Levelling Up Fund investment. Our work continues and we now look forward to the next phase for the project.”
Andy Walker, chief executive of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, added: “It’s a testament to the scale and significance of this project that the government has made it a cornerstone of their levelling up agenda today.
“It’s also fantastic that the collaborative and ambitious approach taken by all the partners has been recognised by the Prime Minister and that we’ve demonstrated how as a county we can work together to get projects like this up and running for the benefit of the whole of Lancashire.”
Morecambe MP David Morris highlighted the effort undertaken get the project to where it is today after what he described as “over 10 years of hard work and lobbying”.
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