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The team behind the Eden Project in Cornwall have presented a business case for £ 70 million of government funding to create an outpost in the north on the Lancashire coast.
The team behind Eden Project North hope it can be a major new attraction in Morecambe that will reimagine the British coastline for the 21st century and regenerate a coastal community.
The 140-page business case presents Eden Project North as “a key driver of the UK’s post-Covid ecological recovery” and describes it as a “ready-to-go” project that would also generate “significant economic, environmental and social benefits. “for the broader north. -Western Region.
A key idea behind the ambitious project is to take advantage of Morecambe’s motto during its tourist heyday: “Beauty surrounds and health abounds.”
The goal is to create a year-round destination on the Bubbles site, a much-missed swimming pool that would appeal to lovers of art, science, adventure, game, and show, as well as nature.
A section called “Above the Bay” would be filled with plants and art exhibits showing the abundance of nature and the rhythms of life linked to the sun, while “Below the Bay” would be an immersive series of life-giving theatrical experiences. to lunar rhythms. and tides.
The “Nature Sanctuary” is set up to be an area focused on the healthy aspects of the coast with wellness treatments offered, while the Nature Observatory would be home to Eden Project North’s research and education programs. The artists’ impressions show the site as five pavilions shaped like giant mussels.
It won’t be cheap. In total, the business case projects the final cost of the Eden Project North to be £ 125 million. Eden seeks a mix of public and private funds to make up the difference beyond any funding from the central government.
But it is expected to attract around a million visitors a year and directly employ more than 400 people. The business case estimates that a visitor spends over £ 200 million per year in the region (not including money spent at Eden Project North), which would support an additional 1,500 jobs.
Eden Project North, the report says, would contribute to the UK’s zero-carbon and green jobs goals, both directly through its operations and through green education programs taught with Lancaster University.
The plan was prepared in collaboration with the university, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster City Council and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.
But at the heart is the team behind the Eden Project in Cornwall, which transformed an ancient Chinese clay pit, which was barren, unstable and had no soil, into an impressive attraction that includes giant biomes teeming with rainforest plants. The Lancashire plan is a key project in Eden’s plans to expand across the UK and the world.
David Harland, Executive Director of Eden Project International, said: “The world has changed beyond measure this year and it is imperative as we emerge from the pandemic that our collective focus is on an economy-stimulating, environmentally progressive recovery. and create meaningful green collar jobs. We strongly believe that Eden Project North does all of these things and will be transformative for Morecambe and the surrounding region. “
Erica Lewis, Lancaster City Council Leader, said: “As we plan to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, the benefits that the project will bring are more important than ever.”
Conservative Morecambe and Mondaydale MP David Morris added: “The government has a leveling agenda for the North, and I don’t see a bigger project than Eden to level our part of the Northwest. The project is ready to go as soon as funding is confirmed. It will be a game changer for our area. “
