A leading light of the Eden Project Morecambe has explained how residents can help with putting the final touches to the attraction ahead of work starting on-site.
Blair Parkin, chief experience development officer for Eden Project Morecambe, revealed that a series of workshops will soon be announced where local people can help create some of the exhibits inside the new facility.
Mr Parkin said residents will soon be shown "exactly where we are with the design of the exhibits inside (Eden) in order to help us finish it."
He also said Eden remained on target to begin building work on Morecambe Promenade by the end of 2024.
Speaking to Beyond Radio during a visit to Morecambe on Monday, Mr Parkin also revealed a little more about the main structure of the £100m Eden Project Morecambe.
It will centre around large shell-shaped domes containing exhibits themed around the natural world and particularly Morecambe Bay.
He said one of the large mussel shell biomes in the area formerly occupied by the Bubbles swimming centre will be called 'The Realm of the Sun' and "will tell the story of nature above the sand and sea, a whole series of stories related to both the local flora and fauna but also regional, national and international".
"The other end of the site, nearer the town centre, is where 'The Realm of the Moon' is," he said.
"This will talk about the rhythms of nature and tide, and a whole host of other things in the natural world that as they are changing, you can see the patterns of climate change and biodiversity loss."
LISTEN to our interview with Blair Parkin from the Eden Project
Mr Parkin (left) spoke after showing government minister Esther McVey (pictured below also with Morecambe MP David Morris) around the central Promenade site on Monday.
"I've never done anything like what we are creating on the seafront here in Morecambe," said Mr Parkin.
"It's going to be completely unique in the world offering a completely different kind of both public and educational experience.
"Right now we are keeping our powder dry and we're not showing all of the most exciting things. But we will be coming out to residents, businesses, special interest groups, schools, universities and a number of other groups over the coming three months.
"We are planning a series of workshops to help us co-create the content of the project. These workshops, the Rhythm Makers workshops, will be announced fairly shortly.
"We can't impose what we do and what we think. This has to be of Morecambe and for Morecambe, and we will shortly be inviting Morecambrians into the project to show where we are with the design of the exhibits inside, in order to help us finish it."
In 2023, Eden Project Morecambe received £50m of government Levelling Up money towards the project.
Since then the Eden team has been working behind the scenes to secure a further £50m from other sources. Although no official announcement has yet been made, Eden bosses have spoken regularly of their confidence in obtaining this money.
Meanwhile a lot of work has also been taking place to finalise the design so the project can part-open on schedule in 2026, with a full opening in 2027.
Pictured below is part of the Eden site.
Mr Parkin said he'd met with project engineers and planners on Monday, and "the wheels of the project are turning".
"We are exactly on target," he said.
"We are broadly seven and half years into a 10 year journey. The timescales of us being present on site this year and getting on with it next year are all the same."
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.
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