Eden Project Morecambe gets £50m Levelling Up investment

Plans for the Eden Project in Morecambe have been boosted by news of government support to the tune of £50m.

The proposed Lancashire eco-tourism attraction has been named as one of more than 100 projects across the UK to win a share of £2.1bn from the government's Levelling Up fund.

It will transform Morecambe's seafront and be a sister site to the original Eden Project near St Austell, Cornwall.

Morecambe and Lunesdale's Tory MP David Morris said it was "mind-blowing" news.

The funding will cover half of the £100m needed to build the much-anticipated coastal-themed attraction originally named Eden Project North.

Scheduled to open in 2024, Eden Project Morecambe will feature three large shell-shaped pavilions overlooking Morecambe Bay.

Chief executive Rob Chatwin said it was an "historic moment" for the town and the surrounding area.

"We will now continue to work hard with our partners to make this vision a reality," he said.

Mr Morris said the funding decision had "quite literally changed Morecambe forever".

"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," he said.

"What started off as a dream has now become reality and this will secure prosperity in Morecambe for generations to come."

Lancaster City Council leader Caroline Jackson said it was "fantastic news".

The Green Party politician said it "presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvent and rejuvenate Morecambe into a 21st Century seaside resort".

The leader of the Conservative-run county council, Phillippa Williamson, added: "This exciting, transformational project will bring a huge boost to Morecambe and its economy."

The Eden Project said preparatory ground work would now get under way.

Meanwhile a so-called "multiversity" - a carbon-neutral, education campus in the middle of Blackpool - has also been awarded £40m.

The Department for Levelling Up said it would allow Blackpool and The Fylde College to replace what the government described as "ageing and unsuitable out-of-town centre facilities with world-class, state-of-the-art ones in the heart of the town centre".

It will teach cutting-edge skills, including artificial intelligence, to help young people secure "jobs of the future", a spokesman said.

Other grants include £20m for Accrington town centre, which will see investments including the renovation of the Grade II-listed market hall, and £20m to improve Preston's parks.

Haigh Hall in Wigan, Greater Manchester, has also been awarded £20m and more than £15m has been granted to improve transport, sport and leisure facilities in Halewood, Merseyside.

Lancashire County Council will receive £50m to improve public transport, cycling and walking routes in the east of the county while £20m is being awarded to Blackburn with Darwen Council to upgrade Junction 5 of the M65.

For Labour, the Shadow Levelling Up Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "It takes an extraordinary arrogance to expect us to be grateful for a partial refund on the money they have stripped out of our communities, which has decimated vital local services like childcare, buses and social care.

"It is time to end this Hunger Games-style contest where communities are pitted against one another and Whitehall ministers pick winners and losers."

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