INTERVIEW: Eden Project Morecambe on track for second £50m funding and 2026 opening

Plans for a second wave of £50m funding and a 2026 opening date for the Eden Project Morecambe are very much on track, says an Eden chief.

Si Bellamy OBE, chief activation officer at the Eden Project, spoke exclusively to Beyond Radio about the latest developments in plans to bring a new £100m attraction to Morecambe Promenade.

Mr Bellamy said that the government's recent decision to grant £50m to the Eden Project Morecambe means they are getting "closer all the time" to securing the second half of the project's costs.

He also said the Eden team would be working very hard to ensure overall costs do not spiral above the total £100m, despite rising material and labour prices.

And Mr Bellamy said 2026 was the target opening date for the Eden Project Morecambe, with a two-year building phase expected to start in early 2024 if not sooner.

LISTEN to our full interview with Si Bellamy here

Securing the second £50m for Eden Project Morecambe

It was announced in January that Eden Project Morecambe was one of more than 100 projects in total to receive a share of £2.1bn from round two of the government’s flagship Levelling Up fund. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Morecambe as part of the official announcement of the £50m funding.

Mr Bellamy said that securing the second £50m was a "huge priority" for the Eden team and work was ongoing.

"We're getting closer all the time," he said.

"There's nothing like the government investing. That signals strongly their confidence in delivery of a landmark scheme. That has encouraged further interested parties to start approaching us to see if they'd like to invest.

"We don't want just any investor. What we're seeing is something that can really support Morecambe and support the North West.

"The second £50m is very much a cocktail of funding that all comes together with some anchor institutions, philanthropy and then some good old crowd funding.

"The bid was amongst the strongest, with a robust business case, at a time of incredible financial uncertainty for the UK economy and also the world, and it's got government investment to say we believe in this bid.

"If the government believes in it, then that gives us confidence that we've got an package that will suit the right investor."

Related Story: Morecambe’s landmark Eden Project North will happen after £50m funding confirmed - Beyond Radio

The total cost of the Eden Project Morecambe

"We've been very clear from the outset that this is a £100m scheme," said Mr Bellamy.

"We're making sure, before we start, that the costs are known, so we don't have those overrun issues.

"We're really focussed in bringing the scheme on-cost, but we also want an amazing destination for visitors, that they come in and realise that every penny that's been (spent) on the site, they can see it, they can feel it. Inflation is a risk, but it's factored into our thinking from the outset."

Initial work began on the site last week

"Last week was the first phase of informing the design," said Mr Bellamy.

"The site itself has got an incredible history and that's written in the soil. So the activity last week was about taking core samples and try to understand what's the condition, are there any nasties? Is there anything there that's going to compromise us, is there anything there regarding any pollution aspects we didn't know about?

"Once we've got that information, it starts to build a picture of the site."

Mr Bellamy and other members of the Eden team attended a 'Morecambe Summit' at the Winter Gardens on Tuesday, where local people had their say on the future of the town with the Eden Project as part of it

'Morecambe Summit' gives local people their say on Eden Project and town's future - Beyond Radio

"I thought it was a brilliant event," he said.

"It was incredibly positive. There were people who pitched up in the cold, to engage, communicate and share. There's a collective sense that we know Morecambe will change. Some of that change may bring fear to many people. There are things there that need responses.

"People's attitude was collectively we can deal with anything. It's a great accolade for Morecambe that the community can come together in that way."

One of the issues that came up was how our young people are being prepared to gain the skills to work as part of the Eden Project - both in the building phase and when it eventually opens

Si spoke to us about the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, a long-term educational partnership between the Eden Project, Lancaster University, Lancaster and Morecambe College and local schools.

"On the day after (Eden Project Morecambe) was conceived as an idea, Wes Johnson from the college (pictured below) drove down to the Eden Project in Cornwall and said 'Hi my name is Wes, and I'm here to train your future workforce'.

"It's a place-based education, around the connection to the natural environment in Morecambe. That's our philosophy.

"At Ryelands Primary School we've looked at the needs of the students there, and tried to find little pilot projects about how nature can improve air quality and how they look at the world.

"At Lancaster and Morecambe College it was great to see the students from the construction course, actually with our contractor for the ground investigation. They were out on site (last week), observing, monitoring, understanding.

"The Morecambe Bay Curriculum is really really important. Eden Project Morecambe is not just the building. We're trying to join the dots together with others. We're looking to junior and primary schools to ask what are the jobs of the future, all around what Morecambe needs."

Si talked about concerns from local people and businesses that Eden might lead to a rise in property prices and rents

"If you start to get things that are disproportionate, they can become fears and drive things the wrong way. If the difference between those who have a lot and those who have a little starts to widen, that's not great. Naturally there's going to be inflation of house prices, linked to jobs, linked to different economic movement in the town. But what's the pace of that and are people keeping up?

"We've seen this in Cornwall where our staff and staff within the hospitality sector in Cornwall can't find accommodation, and that affects everybody. We're working with councils and partners for good growth at the right pace and (that) is affecting people in the right way. If you can't get sustainable businesses because people can't live and work in the area, that's not good. It's one for the city council to look at."

What happens next?

"Engaging the community and diligence behind the scenes," said Mr Bellamy.

"That's a lot of work. Nothing that people will see front and centre outside, but the fundamentals of any major programme. You've got to do your homework and get that right before you even start putting a spade in the ground. 

"We've been quite clear that 2026 is where we're heading. That's our target to race for, to make sure it opens well.

"We're going to do as much design as we can, then looking at getting spades in the ground.

"Potentially (early 2024), hopefully will go quicker than that.

"We're not going to go quick for the sake of going fast. It's got to be done really brilliantly, because that's what Morecambe deserves."

What is the Eden Project Morecambe?

The proposed Eden Project Morecambe is earmarked for 4.8 hectares of land on the central promenade in Morecambe, near the Midland hotel.

The mixed-use complex will be housed in four shell-like domes and will combine indoor and outdoor attractions, themed around Morecambe Bay.

The facility is set to include plants, art and interactive exhibits, a concert area for live music events, three cafe/restaurants and a visitor centre.

It has been estimated that the Eden Project Morecambe would pull 740,000 visitors annually, as well as providing around 300 high-quality green jobs, plus more than 1,000 additional new jobs supported in the region.

The existing UK Eden Project visitor attraction in Cornwall has transformed the region's economy since opening in 2000.