Opening date for Eden Project Morecambe now "edging into 2027/28"

An Eden Project Morecambe chief says they are now "edging into 2027/28" for opening but still hopes work can start on-site by the end of this year.

Si Bellamy, chief transformation officer at Eden, said "all our plans remain on track" and said the new £100m attraction was now "in the delivery phase".

The Eden team had been aiming for a soft opening of the Morecambe Bay-themed facility - heralded as a game-changer for tourism in the town - in 2026 and full opening in 2027.

But Mr Bellamy said they had been encouraged, in early conversations with the new government, to aim for "realism" in the timescales for the project.

"Nobody wants a project that can't deliver," he said, speaking to around 130 people on an online 'Community Conversation' on Tuesday afternoon.

"This is a project now in delivery, after receipt of the first grant funding, and that's a huge milestone for the project.

"Without the support of the community, this doesn't happen, so please stay with us."

LISTEN HERE

Mr Bellamy said the Eden team were still aiming for "site activation" by the end of 2024.

This would be for in-depth ground investigations, following on from initial ground work on the central Promenade site back in March 2023.

Read more: PHOTOS: First work under way at Eden Project Morecambe site - Beyond Radio  (see below, picture from March 2023).

Construction, he said, would then follow.

In July, an agreement was signed to release the first £2.5m from the £50m awarded to the Eden Project Morecambe from the previous Conservative government's Levelling Up fund.

Read more: £2.5m of Eden Project Morecambe funding unlocked to ‘prepare site for activation’ - Beyond Radio

"This is the first time since 2017 we have signed a grant funding agreement for delivering the first part of government funding," said Mr Bellamy, saying this was significant for the project.

He said the Eden team were "going through a lot of due diligence" and the procurement process of hiring designers and architects, which he expected to conclude in autumn, when they would give a further update on the programme for the scheme to be delivered.

Mr Bellamy also said they expected to "deliver the next stage of design by the end of the year".

He also thanked local people for their "patience in getting to this point" and said "your support and perseverance has been unwavering".

At Tuesday's online meeting, which was free and open to members of the public who pre-registered, Mr Bellamy also spoke about "four Cs - commitment, confidence, certainty and construction".

Speaking about the additional £50m towards the £100m total cost of the project, which is being pulled from private and philanthropic sources, he said "we have almost got all the funding together".

"The project continues to make progress".

In July, Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, gave a speech to the House of Commons pledging to "restore economic stability" after revealing £22bn of "unfunded pressures inherited from the previous government".

She announced £5.5bn of savings this year and £8.1bn next year to tackle the overspend, scrapping several projects from the previous Tory administration.

A Government Spending Review was also announced, alongside a "set of non-negotiable fiscal rules and further difficult decisions on tax and spending" to be announced in October.

This led to concerns among some local people that the Eden Project Morecambe government funding pledge could also be under threat.

But a spokesperson for Eden Project Morecambe partners Lancaster City Council said: “Eden Project Morecambe was announced as the recipient of £50m in government funding and there is no suggestion that this, or other projects in receipt of similar funding, is affected by the recent change in Government.

"The project continues to make progress."

Mr Bellamy (pictured below) said on Tuesday: "It's been a period of change for the UK in general.

"Early indications from this new Labour government have been as positive as they were from the previous government, there has been no change from what we can ascertain and all our plans remain on track.

"You can never be 100 per cent certain in anything. But this project has got so much support, a huge groundswell."

Mr Bellamy also pointed to the fact that Rachel Reeves had visited Morecambe in person prior to the general election, to pledge support for the project.

He also spoke positively about a two-day 'Rhythm Makers' community event held at the Winter Gardens in April, in which new artist impressions of  inside the Eden Project Morecambe were revealed (see below).

Read more: PHOTOS and INTERVIEWS: Exciting new look inside Eden Project Morecambe revealed at Winter Gardens event - Beyond Radio

He also said the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, an Eden approach to learning about sustainability taught in several local schools and colleges for more than a year, has been "really successful from early years upwards".

Also on Tuesday's call, there were questions from local people about transport, and calls for improvement to facilities at Morecambe railway station to cope with the expected influx of visitors Eden will bring.

Sharon McGuinness from project partners Lancashire County Council, said: "Our rail development manager is all over this, looking hard into how things can be improved.

"These things don't happen overnight when you're dealing with the rail industry but we are definitely pushing for it."

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 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 will include:

• Above the Bay/The Realm of the Sun: an environment filled with plants and art exhibits, showcasing natural abundance and the rhythms of life linked to the sun.
• Below the Bay/The Realm of the Moon: an immersive series of theatrical experiences that bring to life lunar rhythms and tides.
• The Natural Observatory: the home of Eden Project Morecambe's research and education programmes.

There will be "groundbreaking immersive experiences" and "a beautiful and sustainable architectural design".

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.

The new Eden attraction will be located on the former site of the Bubbles/Dome/Super Swimming Stadium leisure complex with the Grade II* listed Winter Gardens and Midland Hotel its near neighbours.

Eden Project Morecambe will cost £100m, £50m of which was secured from the previous UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The remaining £50m will be sourced from private and philanthropic funds, which Eden bosses say is in ‘advanced stages’ of being finalised.

The next Eden Community Conversation will be an in-person event at Morecambe Winter Gardens on Tuesday September 3, starting at 6pm. You can register HERE.

The next online Community Conversation will be on Tuesday October 1 at 1.30pm. You can register HERE.