42 SEASIDE RESORTS
IN SIGHT OF EDEN
It’s now some nine months since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travelled to the Lancashire seaside to highlight the economic and political importance of Morecambe’s Eden Project.
It was a trip that took place less than 24 hours after the announcement the development was to get £50m of government levelling-up cash – half of the £100m needed to deliver the transformational project.
So what has been happening since that photo- opportunity on Morecambe’s seafront? A lot of hard work and activity behind the scenes, as spelled out by Si Bellamy, executive director of Eden Project.
Fundraising work is on-going to secure the £50m non-government investment needed for the project. Alongside that the government’s detailed scrutiny of the project with regards to its half of the cash continues.
Si says: “There is lots of extra work to do. We need to raise that next £50m, we need to make sure we have the support in place.
“Then there is the compliance and the due diligence process that we need to go through. There’s a high level of scrutiny and that has to be expected with such a large sum of public money.”
When it comes to the investment from non- government sources, he says confidence is growing. He says: “We are starting to make things happen.”
The timetable for delivering Eden Project Morecambe remains, with the opening pencilled in for the end of 2026, although Si says that could change, given some of the wider economic circumstances out of the programme’s control.
Currently the intention is to deliver detailed designs for the development at the beginning of next year. Si says: “The aim is to be in a position to start construction on site by early autumn next year.”
There is a two year timescale for construction.
Work is also ongoing to set up procurement partnerships, with some already created.
Si says Bank of England rate rises have had an impact. He adds: “Confidence really matters and we are trying to build confidence across the partnership.”
He adds: “We have seen interest in Morecambe increasing both locally and nationally, with people looking to come in and invest.
“There is great interest in the transformation. The government has supported that and now there is potential for others to invest in that transformation.”
Si declares that delivering the Morecambe project is a major priority for Eden Project and he adds: “This is absolutely going to happen. We are all working to create all that we have set out to do and to get this delivered.
“You can sense the passion and excitement coming from the community and the wider region. We have to create the strongest possible foundations. Not rushing things now will benefit us in the long term.”
The prize for success is massive and not just for the seaside town but for Lancashire and the wider North West.
This project will re-imagine Morecambe as a seaside resort for the 21st century. 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 North is set to exceed the £50m government investment within months of the project opening its doors to visitors.
The promise of its delivery has already had a positive impact when it comes to the fortunes of Morecambe.
Plans to build a new 86-bedroom hotel near to the Eden Project site and the iconic Winter
Gardens and Midland Hotel, have been submitted to local planners. The project team includes an international hotel developer.
Earlier this year the Winter Gardens secured a £2.78m grant from the Cultural Development Fund to help bring the historic theatre back to its former glory.
The drive to secure the cash was led by Prof Vanessa Toulmin, professor of entertainment history at the University of Sheffield, who was born and grew up in the resort.
For the past three years, she has chaired the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, a group of volunteers who are working to restore the building.
She says: “We still have a long way to go, but this funding gets us nearer to our ambition of making our building sing and be known once again as the people’s palace – the Albert Hall of the North.”
Meanwhile, Lancaster City Council is currently considering expressions of interest it has received to develop the former Frontierland theme park site that it bought in 2021 in response to concerns about its dereliction.
It is set to be another piece of large scale regeneration for the town.
So it is little wonder that Catherine Potter, council cabinet member with responsibility for the visitor economy, community wealth building and culture, says these are “exciting times” for Morecambe.
She adds: “It’s estimated that in Cornwall the local economy has benefitted to the tune of more than £2bn from the Eden Project and if we can replicate that success locally, it will go a long way to rejuvenating the visitor economy.
“While Eden Project Morecambe will be transformative by itself, we are also blessed to have other key projects in the pipeline. While there is no doubt that there is still much to do, the future for Morecambe and our economy looks bright.”
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