EXCLUSIVE: ‘’Realistic but still ambitious’’ - Eden boss pledges Morecambe attraction build will begin in summer 2024

The man responsible for delivering the Eden Project Morecambe says he’s confident the attraction will begin to be built by ‘late summer or early autumn 2024’.

Speaking to Beyond Radio earlier this year, Si Bellamy OBE said he was hopeful there would be a ‘spade in the ground’ by early 2024, or sooner, but now expects the project to start to be ‘in its stride’ in the coming months, with construction beginning the following summer.

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

He said that the government's £50m grant, confirmed in January, means they are getting closer all the time to securing the second half of the project's costs.

And Mr Bellamy said 2026 was still the target opening date for the Eden Project Morecambe, with a two-year building phase expected to start ‘by late summer or early autumn 2024’.

Click here to listen to our exclusive interview in full with Si Bellamy, and Cllr Catherine Potter, cabinet member responsible for visitor economy, community wealth building and culture, at Lancaster City Council:

‘’For many people, they’ll say we’ve seen no progress. But that couldn’t be further from the truth,’’ said Mr Bellamy, after excitement was piqued by the sight of diggers doing some preliminary works on the promenade earlier this year.

‘’What has happened over the last six months is that we’ve put the foundations in place for a really brilliant project.

‘’That involves working with our partners but also with government, because whenever you’re dealing with an investment of £50m, that requires a huge amount of diligence and going through a process. The announcement (of the Levelling Up funding) was just the start of that process, and we’ve been working with them week on week, so that by the end of the summer, the project will definitely be in its stride.

‘’It was brilliant to get the ground investigation work underway, to see what ‘ingredients’ we have. It was seeing the soil structures, the utilities, as part of our due diligence. What happens next though is obviously once we get through the process with government, and have raised the second £50m, is to set out a very clear timeline that is realistic but still ambitious.''

Mr Bellamy also addressed the ongoing economic uncertainty, and if rising interest rates and construction costs could in any way jeopardise the scheme.

‘’We want to be in construction by late summer, early autumn next year, and trying to have a realistic opening towards the end of 2026,’’ he said.

‘’That’s the timeline we’re aiming to achieve, but so much is uncertain (elsewhere). You only have to look at the rise in interest rates, there’s difficult conditions across the country but we’re working within that context to produce something here in Morecambe.

‘’This is a transformation project. One of the most important things is the science. That informs our narrative, and that narrative informs our experience, and that experience informs our design.

‘’We want to make sure that the experience is incredible, inspired by Morecambe Bay. That doesn’t change.

‘’Our budget is £100m, and the task is to make it the best experience we can within whatever envelope we create. We want to ensure that our offer is world class within what we can afford.''

‘Anchor investor’

Mr Bellamy says seeking a ‘cocktail’ of private investment was still being sought, and said business people with a strong affinity to the local area would be their preferable funding option.

‘’It’s an integrated campaign,’’ he said.

‘’We need to secure an ‘anchor investor’, but there’s philanthropy, crowdfunding, and the man in the street. Now is the time to invest.

‘’We want the right sort of investment, we don’t want an investor with no connection to Morecambe.

‘’The conversations we had in January (with investors) are becoming ever more certain. There are uncertainties but we’re increasingly confident of pledges by the end of autumn.

‘’It’s about that pathway investment, to secure the scheme.’’

‘’We want one committed to Eden, the town, and the region, and who wants to see that long term return.’’

Cllr Catherine Potter was elected to Lancaster City Council at last month’s local elections, and has responsibility for the visitor economy, community wealth building and culture.

‘’I couldn’t have come onto the council at a better time!’’ she said.

‘’We want to get it right, we want people to stay for week-long breaks, we want them to use other attractions, dine in local restaurants, and stay over. The ramifications of Eden are massive.

‘’But, we need to protect ourselves against some of the things people are worried about, such as rent increases, and traffic. We need to make sure as a council that we prepare for the good things and protect against the things we don’t want to happen.''

Above: Cllr Catherine Potter

‘’The relationship with Eden is phenomenally close. We’re integrated in the project, it’s a partnership and we’ll be hopefully be involved in the operation and wider context. It needs to work for everyone in the community.

‘’It’s also about local supply chains and making sure local people benefit from this amazing project.’’

Next steps

‘’I’m confident we’ll raise the £50m,’’ concluded Mr Bellamy.

‘’We’re into commercial negotiations, and the fact the government have funded it in the first place shows how confident they are. That’s where we at, and were confident the £50m is on its way, but there is work to do.

‘’Progress isn’t just a spade in the ground. Our strong ambition is to start construction by late summer 2024. But, that said, many parts of this project don’t require any building.

‘’For example, the wildflower schemes in Heysham, the Morecambe Bay curriculum (with Lancaster & Morecambe College), and the recent Coronation Big Lunch, are all part of our ongoing community work.’’

The project’s latest ‘Community Conversation’ event is next Friday, June 30, offering the chance to keep the Morecambe community up to date with the project and seek feedback on our ideas. You can join the meeting online.

More details can be found here