Eden Project Morecambe
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2024 expectations updates:

Morecambe is changing. And more is coming in 2024 as the seaside town prepares for the arrival of the Eden Project.

Business and locals hope 2024 will be a key period for regeneration in the bay. There are hopes that construction work at the seafront location will start in 2024 and different parts of the scheme will be finalised and approved.

Currently, considerations include updated construction costs, private investment, public subsidy and partnerships between Eden and organisations such as lancaster-city-council>Lancaster City Council and Lancaster University.

Updates and scrutiny of some details are currently under-way by different organisations. These include the Eden Project reviewing some aspects of its proposed buildings and construction costs; and a government competition authority checking the planned transfer of city council-owned seafront land to the Eden Project. Feedback on that is expected in January 2024.

Updated numbers about new jobs provided on a market and land transfer from the city council:

The city council has submitted details to the Competition and Markets Authority's Subsidy Advice Unit about its proposals and transfer of land valued at £900,000 to the Eden Project as its contribution.

Future jobs, business and supplier opportunities, tourism, education, training, science and research opportunities are among the forecasted benefits of the Eden Project, backers say. The scheme is expected to generate 274 jobs directly and create a further 1,083 jobs in the wider economy through tourism and visitors' spending.

Source: https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/eden-project-morecambe-latest-seaside-28370260

THE £100million project was first announced in 2022, with hopes that it will be completed in 2026. But a huge setback could delay the opening of the brand-new Eden Project Morecambe in Lancaster.

Work on Eden Project Morecambe, originally known as Eden Project North, has been delayed by Government red tape. As reported by the Lancaster Guardian, Eden Boss, Si Bellamy, revealed that some stages were "taking longer than expected" - with the opening date likely to be pushed back.
The delays have resulted from ongoing talks between the Eden team, Lancaster City Council, and the UK Government's levelling-up department, which awarded £50million to the project in January.

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/24440168/eden-project-morecambe-lancaster-huge-setback/

The group is recruiting for a community engagement officer devoted to the new site. With a £25,500 salary and a 12 month fixed term, the chosen candidate will be tasked with delivering a "programme of successful community engagement and facilitated nature-led activities focussing (but not exclusively) on our marine and coastal environments."

Source: https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/eden-project-morecambe-jobs-update-27352766

Building work officially began on the Eden Project Morecambe site last week as diggers and engineers rolled into town.

The major attraction is due to open by 2026 and the construction phase can finally move forward after the government followed through on a promise of £50m of investment through its Levelling Up Fund. The final private investment is still being sourced to complete the funding and it is hoped the development will have a transformative effect on the town leading to wider regeneration.

Source: https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/eden-project-morecambe-building-work-26461193

Contractors have been at the central Promenade site - earmarked for the new Eden visitor attraction - carrying out preliminary survey work since Monday.
An Eden Project spokesperson said: "Initial ground investigations are taking place on the Eden Project Morecambe site this week. "The work involves making a number of small bore-holes to allow excavation of soil samples to take place.

"These samples will then be sent for analysis. The analysis of the samples will help inform further detailed design and the future construction phase."

Source: https://www.beyondradio.co.uk/news/local-news/photos-first-work-under-way-at-eden-project-morecambe-site/

Activity on the Eden Project Morecambe site might be happening this week – and it will be partially finished late 2025, according to the project director.

Source: https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/eden-project-morecambe-first-stage-starts-this-week-ahead-of-newly-confirmed-2025-partial-opening-date-4050336

Ground tests, private investment and an early phase of recruitment are among the next steps for the Eden Project Morecambe. Transport needs, including calls for railway electrification and other improvements in Morecambe and beyond, also need more work, it has been said.

Eden Project representatives said preparatory ground work will now be undertaken at the Morecambe seafront site, which is vital before construction begins. The organisation said it will keep the community informed about the construction schedule through social media, local news media and community events.

Source: https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/what-next-steps-eden-project-26022521

The Eden Project has been awarded £50m in the second round of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to build the new Eden Project Morecambe in Lancashire.

The bid was submitted by Lancaster City Council, one of the Eden Project’s key partners on the Morecambe attraction, and was chosen as a recipient of the largest investment possible under the fund, earmarked for large-scale cultural regeneration projects.

The £50m investment is half of the £100m needed to build the coastal-themed project. The funding allows the project to move into its next phase and begin the process of finalising the remaining £50m from private and philanthropic sources identified as part of the bidding process.

Annual visitor numbers are projected to be 740,000 and additional revenue brought into local businesses due to Eden Project Morecambe is set to exceed the £50m Government investment within months of the project opening. Now that the Levelling Up Fund process has concluded, preparation for construction is due to start this year and the aim is for Eden Project Morecambe to be open to visitors by 2026.

Source: https://news.lancashire.gov.uk/news/eden-project-morecambe-awarded-gbp-50m-from-governments-levelling-up-fund

More delays to funding push back progress again...

The indoor and outdoor attraction, forecast to cost a total £100 million in plans submitted earlier this year, is expected to draw up to 740,000 visitors annually, if all goes well and Eden North is actually built.
But the government's confirmation about Levelling-Up cash is yet to come. And Westminster recently pushed-back a decision, saying it has received many high-quality Levelling-Up bids from across the UK. There is plenty of competition, it seems.

Source: https://www.lancs.live/whats-on/whats-on-news/eden-project-north-50m-funding-25828100