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Eden Project North given go-ahead with £50m levelling-up fund
The proposed plans have been named as one of more than 100 schemes to have won a share of the government’s £2.1bn levelling-up funds.
The North of England has secured £50m of the government’s levelling-up funding for a new eco-attraction, the Eden Project.
The proposal for the Lancashire tourist attraction has been named as one of more than 100 schemes to have won a share of the £2.1bn funds, as part of a government pledge to narrow economic divides.
The project plans will change Morecambe’s seafront and will be a sister site to the original Eden Project near St Austell, Cornwall. The funding, for the already approved plans, will cover half of the overall £100m cost to build it and promises to ‘reimagine’ the North.
Eden Project North will feature three large shell-shaped pavilions and is scheduled to open in 2024, with the Morecambe and Lunesdale Tory MP David Morris saying it was ‘mind blowing’ news.
Mr Morris added: “Five years of work has finally come to fruition and, after lobbying four prime ministers and six chancellors, and more meetings and debates in Parliament than I can count, I am absolutely delighted.
“What started off as a dream has now become reality and this will secure prosperity in Morecambe for generations to come.”
Chief executive Rob Chatwin said it was a ‘historic moment’ for the town and the surrounding area, adding: “We will now continue to work hard with our partners to make this vision a reality.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it represented ‘new transformational funding to level up local communities across the UK.’
“By reaching even more parts of the country than before, we will build a future of optimism and pride in people’s lives and the places they call home,” he added.
Plans for a £40m carbon neutral Blackpool based education campus have also been given the go-ahead. The ‘multiversity’ is set to teach cutting-edge skills, including artificial intelligence, to help young people secure ‘jobs of the future’, according to a spokesperson.
Other levelling-up initiatives include a £20m grant to transform Accrington town centre and £20m for Wigan Borough’s Haigh Hall.