Eden Project Morecambe timetable revealed as ex-MP slams delays

Wednesday, 5 March 2025 09:28

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

An artist's impression of the Eden Project Morecambe

A government timetable of work for building the Eden Project Morecambe has been revealed as the town's former MP hit out at delays to the scheme.

A schedule released by a government minister this week, says the new attraction on Morecambe Promenade should be ready to open by October 2028.

Construction on-site could start in March 2026, said Alex Norris in a written response to a question from a Conservative MP.

Mr Norris, Labour's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the full timetable is as follows:

Design stage March 2025 to October 2026
Initial enabling works during design August 2025 to November 2025
Main site enabling works March to July 2026
Main construction commences March 2026 to July 2028, to be completed by July to August 2028,
Eden Project Morecambe ready to open May to October 2028

Mr Norris also said that all of the government's half of the £100m cost of the scheme will be available in quarter one of 2026.

David Morris, former Conservative MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale, published a link to the timetable in a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

Mr Morris claimed the project had "completely stalled after the general election" and "there was really no reason for any delay".

Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said there have been "no delays or changes in the timeline due to the change in government" and accused Mr Morris of "playing party politics".

His comments came on the same day that the Morecambe Winter Gardens was packed with people eager to know the latest progress on the planned £100m facility.

Speaking at one of Eden's regular 'community conversations' on Tuesday evening, Si Bellamy (below), chief transformation officer at the Eden Project, said they were 98 per cent of the way towards raising an additional £50m towards the full cost of the project, with fundraising still ongoing.

Mr Bellamy, who said he has been working on the Morecambe project for seven years, acknowledged the frustration of local people in waiting for the scheme to be built, and recognised the huge amount of interest locally.

But he reiterated what he said several months ago, that the project was now in "the delivery phase".

He confirmed they have a window for construction of 2026 to 2028, and they hoped to open in 2028, subject to everything going smoothly.

Speaking to Beyond Radio after the meeting, Mr Bellamy also said a new project director in charge of the Eden scheme locally, was expected to be in post "within four to six weeks" and the first site office was expected to open before the end of the summer.

In summer 2018, the Eden Project first announced plans to open its new Morecambe attraction.

Planning permission for the Eden Project Morecambe (then known as Eden Project North) was granted in January 2022.

An initial £50m was first pledged by the Conservative government towards the project in January 2023.

Then in October 2024 the new Labour government confirmed they would honour this funding after a review of the business case following their election last July.

WAITING FOR EDEN - WHAT THE POLITICIANS SAY

Mr Morris (below) said on Tuesday: "Following months of the Conservatives trying to get answers on what is happening with the Eden Project Morecambe, we have finally got some responses back.

"Eden Project Morecambe completely stalled after the general election and no progress has been made since the Conservatives sent the first £2.5 million to the project.

"This was a project which was ready to go so there was really no reason for any delay. The questions give a new timetable for the project. It is worrying as the original funding was due to last until Spring 2026 and building should have been well under way.

"I just hope that this signals the project will start to move again and that albeit significantly delayed.

"I fought and secured 50m for Eden Project Morecambe, when I was in Parliament because it is so intrinsic to our future success as an area.

"I hope my legacy to Morecambe will be delivered."

In response, Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale who defeated Mr Morris in the 2024 general election (below), said:

“There have been no delays or change in the timeline of Eden Project Morecambe due to the change in government.

"As Minister Norris’ answer makes clear, the final full business case, which was requested by the last government, was received on the 23rd September 2024, the funding decision was announced at the budget on 30th October and a memorandum of understanding was issued to Lancaster City Council on the 18th November. This is in line with what would have been expected under the last government.

"It’s disappointing to see people play party politics with a project that has had cross party support. The project is in the design phase, which of course takes time, and Eden Project Morecambe and the city council have regular community conversations at which clear updates are given.

"Anyone wanting accurate information about the project has been free to attend these public events.

"The idea that there has been a delay or stopping of payments is nonsense."

Ms Collinge said the rest of the £50m "will be released in tranches over the course of the project, in the usual way".

"There will be funds available at each stage of the project, according to the needs of the time, without having to go back to the government each time," she said.

"There is no funding withdrawal or holding back, in fact it's quite the opposite."

FACT CHECK

It was announced in July 2024, that the first £2.5m funding towards Eden from the £50m Levelling Up grant had been released. This funding decision was made in February 2024.

In October 2024, Lancaster City Council - the accountable body for the funding - announced that a further £2.5m had been made available.

Then in November, the council signed off a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for the full £50m of Levelling Up funding contribution towards Eden Project Morecambe.

This means that funds will now be available at each stage of the project as and when required, without needing government approval to draw on each amount. This superseded the announcement of the additional £2.5m.

The scheduled date for opening the Eden Project has been put back numerous times over the past four years, under both Conservative and Labour governments.

In January 2022, when planning permission was granted for the scheme, David Harland, then chief executive of Eden Project International, said they hoped to put a spade in the ground by the end of that year, and open in late 2024.

Then when the £50m government cash was first announced in January 2023, the Eden team was aiming for a 2026 opening and to begin construction in 2024.

In April 2024, prior to the general election, Mr Bellamy said 2027 was now the targeted opening date and he hoped for "site activation" by winter 2024.

Mr Bellamy then announced in August 2024, that the aimed-for opening date was now "edging into 2027/28".

Then in October last year, he said 2028 was a realistic date for opening.

WHY THE DELAY?

There has been a number of hurdles for the Eden team and their partners since the £50m of Levelling Up funding was first pledged in January 2023.

In late 2023, Lancaster City Council, as accountable body for the £50m funds, had to submit a 'subsidy control assessment' to the Conservative government - a mandatory procedure to explain why public funds are required as part of the funding package.

The Conservative government at the time had also carried out a separate 'impact review' to show that the project could still be delivered on budget despite inflated costs.

In May 2024, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. The new Labour government was elected in July 2024.

Rachel Reeves, new Chancellor of the Exchequer, then announced a spending review, saying Labour had inherited £22bn of "unfunded pressures inherited from the previous government".

In August 2024, Si Bellamy said the Eden team were "going through a lot of due diligence" and the procurement process of hiring designers and architects.

The Eden team had to submit a full business case to the government, which was received in September 2024.

In the October 2024 budget papers, the government then confirmed that funding for all core Levelling Up projects - including Eden Project Morecambe - would be honoured.

A memorandum of understanding was then signed between the government and Lancaster City Council in November 2024.

This allowed the council to accept the full £50m of government funds towards the planned Eden Project Morecambe, as the accountable body.

Meanwhile, more than two years after the £50m Levelling Up cash was announced, work has been ongoing to complete the full £50m match funding package.

A source close to the Eden Project told Beyond Radio, that securing this funding was taking "far longer than originally expected".

Back in March 2023, shortly after the government funds were confirmed, Mr Bellamy told Beyond Radio that they were "getting closer all the time" to securing the match funding from "anchor institutions, philanthropy and then some good old crowd funding".

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

Mr Bellamy then said, in March 2024, that Eden hoped to have the full funding package in place "by the middle of summer, if not before" and that they were in "the final few millions".

In October 2024, he told Beyond Radio: ‘’Our funding package is the high end of 98 per cent complete.

‘’Once that happens, things like our crowdfunding can start to happen. We have a confident package.

‘’There are changing times, costs have increased, and people have raised concerns. The project is absolutely affordable within the things that we can control, and we have a fundraising plan that goes beyond when the project is in the construction phase."

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.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON TUESDAY?

The meeting at the Winter Gardens was opened by Councillor Caroline Jackson, leader of Lancaster City Council (below) who are one of Eden's partners in the scheme.

Jonathan Noad, chief officer for sustainable growth at Lancaster City Council, then gave an update on plans to develop the Frontierland site in Morecambe and an economic strategy for the area.

Mr Bellamy then spoke about the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, a long-standing educational partnership between the Eden charity and local schools, colleges and universities.

Joanne Easthorpe, headteacher from Overton St Helens Primary School, spoke about how the Morecambe Bay Curriculum is inspiring children and students to learn and aspire to live and work in the area as adults.

Representatives from Lancaster University, and Daniel Braithwaite, principal and chief executive from Lancaster & Morecambe College, also spoke about the benefits of the curriculum.

Topics at a public Q&A session included on how local taxpayers will benefit from Eden Project Morecambe, whether Carnforth can be used as a northern gateway to the Eden Project Morecambe, parking in the town, sufficient hotel beds for the expected influx of visitors, and improving transport links.

TIMELINE OF THE EDEN PROJECT MORECAMBE

Read all about the wait for Eden, 2021-25

JANUARY 2025 Eden Project says they remain committed to Morecambe scheme as charity plans 80 redundancies - Beyond Radio

OCTOBER 2024 INTERVIEW: ‘We are now in delivery mode’ – Eden chief expresses confidence over Morecambe attraction as more funding confirmed - Beyond Radio

OCTOBER 2024 MP "absolutely thrilled" as Budget confirms Eden Project Morecambe funding will be honoured - Beyond Radio

SEPTEMBER 2024 INTERVIEWS: Residents speak out after hearing latest update on Eden Project Morecambe - Beyond Radio

AUGUST 2024 Opening date for Eden Project Morecambe now "edging into 2027/28" - Beyond Radio

JULY 2024 £2.5m of Eden Project Morecambe funding unlocked to ‘prepare site for activation’ - Beyond Radio

APRIL 2024 PHOTOS and INTERVIEWS: Exciting new look inside Eden Project Morecambe revealed at Winter Gardens event - Beyond Radio

APRIL 2024 INTERVIEW: Eden Project Morecambe chief expects full funding package by summer and spade in ground by autumn/winter - Beyond Radio

FEBRUARY 2024 INTERVIEW: Residents will have say on finishing touches as Eden Project Morecambe remains 'on target' for 2024 start - Beyond Radio

JANUARY 2024 Think tank offers words of advice over Eden Project Morecambe funding - Beyond Radio