Eden Project North approved, although funding issues remain
Councillors have approved the £125m Eden Project North eco-tourism development in Morecambe.
Today’s (January 31) meeting of Lancaster City Council planning committee, held in Morecambe, gave the green light to proposals by Eden Project International Limited, which developed the original Eden Project in Cornwall more than 20 years ago.
The scheme will directly employ around 390 full-time equivalent staff with a maximum of 280 workers on-site at any given time. It is hoped that the attraction could be open by 2024.
Situated on an 11-acre site close to the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel and the Grade II-listed Winter Gardens, the plan is for a year-round destination that combines indoor and outdoor experiences, connecting people with the internationally-significant natural environment of Morecambe Bay while also enhancing wellbeing.
Eden Project North is projected to attract around one million visitors with an estimated visitor spend of more than £200m per year in the region – not including money spent at Eden Project North – which would support an additional 1,500 jobs.
The design will take the shape of shell-shaped pavilions which are connected to provide a sand dune lanscape appearance, with a rolling roof covered in coastal plants.
As well as the main venue, plans include an outdoor arena capable of holding up to 6,000 people, which could be used to stage up to eight late-evening events each year.
Eden Project bosses have asked the Government for £70m towards the cost of the scheme, but no money has so far been allocated.
However, David Morris, Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said he has been meeting with Ministers for some time and is hopeful of a successful conclusion.
North West independent law firm Brabners has acted as legal adviser to Lancaster City Council on the project and Ross Shine, a partner at Brabners, said: “Eden Project North has the potential to be transformative for Morecambe and the wider Lancashire economy.
“With the Government’s ‘levelling up’ White Paper expected in the coming days, it is ambitious infrastructure projects such as this that will create sustainable growth for the Northern economy and, moreover, attract further inward investment for future development.”
Eden Project International chief executive, David Harland, is a speaker at TheBusinessDesk.com’s Invest North 2022 event, taking place on March 2.
