Key Eden Project Morecambe supporter quits saying 'team's understanding of dynamics of the North is flawed'

Monday, 11 March 2024 11:28

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

How the Eden Project Morecambe might look

A key supporter of the Eden Project Morecambe has quit his role as a trustee over his concerns about how the town's new attraction will be run.

Professor Adam Beaumont resigned from the Eden Trust, saying he'd been "beyond patient" but "had no steerage" on the planned Eden Project Morecambe and it was now "untenable" for him to remain a trustee.

Professor Beaumont said: "I cannot remain on a board who wishes to run a Northern project from Cornwall or with a team whose understanding of the dynamics of the North is flawed."

Cyber security expert Professor Beaumont, described by Eden as a "key advocate" of the Morecambe project, had been one of the trustees of the Eden Trust for seven years.

The charity owns the Eden Project in Cornwall and the executive team at Eden reports directly to the board of trustees.

Work on the planned Eden Project Morecambe is due to start by the end of 2024 and bosses say it is on track for a test opening in 2026 and full opening in 2027.

The charity says it's in the "final stages of securing investment" towards the total £100m cost of the major new eco-attraction on Morecambe Promenade, having already secured £50m from the government.

In a series of posts on his LinkedIn page, Professor Beaumont said:

"Eden Morecambe is not only a hub, but is a crystallisation of hope and aspiration for our forgotten seaside communities.

"Whilst it’s untenable for me to be a trustee of Eden, I’m a proud Northerner and a firm believer in the North and it’s destiny as the balancing economic centre of mass in the UK.

"I was the host for the launch of the Northern Powerhouse at our Leeds HQ (and the first member) and I believe strongly that a cohesive North is a force to be reckoned with.

"I’ve lobbied five Prime Ministers for the funding for Eden Morecambe and made each one a firm promise that I would deliver Morecambe and also foster a local Northern supply chain and expertise to do so.

"Once delivered, the project will be amazing. The whole scope of it is to bring mankind closer to nature through awareness of our own and our planet's rhythms.

"However, to deliver such a polymathic project, there's a need to focus energies on enabling the scientists, local stakeholders and the storytellers, without the distractions of those who don’t share the necessary imagination. This needs an exec team who recognise the value of Northern relationships and the value of polymathy."

Earlier, he posted that resigning had been a "very difficult decision".

"I've been a trustee of the Eden Project for seven years, with a promise to be the lead for Eden Project Morecambe. I've been a passionate environmentalist since my teens.

"However, I've been beyond patient. I've got no steerage on the matters of Eden Morecambe after several years. What's starting to become a concern is that many people in the North are seeing me as the lead but I have no exec or governance steerage.

"So I have all the exposure and also all of the downside without any of the recognition or empowerment (or also empowerment of many of my amazing friends in the North).

"So, from today, i'm done. I can't work with an organisation who can't empower me or anyone else to address the project and the underlying cause of Eden - which is why i joined - which is to create key interventions to climate change.

"Feeling a lot lighter.. And to those in the Exec and Trustee team....I have no words. Eden, you're broken. Sort it out. In a world where strong words are marginalised or demonised. The sad thing is I'm not doing this for something else. I'm doing this to say I'm done. But if there's anything that works to empower young curious people about science or the world, I'm in!!"

Professor Beaumont, 51, is a communications specialist within the Ministry of Defence and the founder of a number of telecommunications companies and the not-for-profit investment platform NorthInvest which drives co-investment in startup companies across the North.

A spokesperson for the Eden Project said: “The Eden Project can confirm that Adam Beaumont has stepped down as an Eden Project Trustee, having served in that role since June 2017. The Eden Project would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication and wish him well for the future.

"During his tenure, the Eden Project has strengthened its delivery of programmes committed to championing nature-based solutions.

“Eden Project Morecambe, for which Adam has been a key supporter and advocate, is in the final stages of securing investment following a commitment of £50m from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund.

"Construction is due to begin this year (2024) and the project is set to open for community-focused test events in 2026 before a full opening in 2027.”

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