Latest news with #MorecambeBay
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Eden Project Morecambe now in 'delivery mode' after delays
The Eden Project in Morecambe is now in "delivery mode" after "a period of pause and delays", the project director has project, led by Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University, has faced several delays due to week it was revealed work will start at the seafront site next year, with an opening date of late director John Pye said about 500 jobs would be created around the construction of the eco-attraction, plus about 150 full-time jobs when it was in operation. He said the £100m project would bring about £10m in investment to the town each Pye, formerly the head of estates for the Royal Horticultural Society in the north, said its theme "will be about the rhythms of Morecambe Bay and the tides".He added there would be two main areas - Realm of the Sun "a cathedral-like nod to Eden's traditional horticulture" and Realm of the Moon "an immersive darker environment, explaining how humans interact with the rhythms of the earth."The shell-inspired structure, sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, has been projected to attract thousands of people to the Lancashire town when it will be built on the promenade where Bubbles leisure complex used to be sited, with the Grade II listed Winter Gardens and Midland Hotel its near week new images of the "global garden" were released with the project team saying the structure would be "instantly recognisable" as an "emblem of sustainability". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- BBC News
Eden Project Morecambe set to open by winter 2028
The Eden Project Morecambe is set to open in 2028, it has been revealed. John Pye, the new project director for the eco-visitor attraction set for Morecambe promenade, said the aim is to open towards the end of that said by next summer a main contractor is expected to be appointed and the main construction set to news comes after new images were released showing what the shell-inspired structure - the sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall - might look like. Described as a "global garden", the attraction will feature three large shell-shaped pavilions overlooking Morecambe Bay, "inspired by the natural geometries, beauty and efficiency of seashells".The former head of estates in the north for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gave the updates at the latest Eden Project Morecambe community conversation at Morecambe Football Club, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said by this summer the concept design stage should be finished and a start made on detailed designs for the attraction on the former Bubbles leisure complex land. Site investigations are expected this autumn, with some planning amendments this early on-site activity could start summer 2026 the main contractor will be appointment and the start of main construction work. Mr Pye said the new building's "shell" should be up by mid-2027 and major building work done by winter 2027. The internal fit-out will be done through 2028. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside the £100milllion beachfront attraction with indoor gardens and pools set to transform seaside town
NEW images have revealed what to expect from the huge new Eden Project attraction. The Morecambe attraction is set to open in 2028, after being forced to delay its initial 2026 opening date. 5 5 5 More images have since been released by architects Grimshaw to show what it will look like when it opens. The huge dome like structures is being dubbed a "global garden" overlooking the bay. The unusual shaped resort has been "inspired by seashells" and will have a number of themed areas. The Realm of The Sun is a tropical area while the The Realm of the Moon is a "dark space". A central attraction will be a 65ft The Elder Tree sculpture, along with tidal rock pool exhibits. Huge tropical gardens and a "hyper-real forest" are also expected to be part of the attraction. Jolyon Brewis, Partner at Grimshaw, told the BBC: "Influenced by the natural rhythms of Morecambe, two extraordinary structures – the Realm of the Sun and the Realm of the Moon – will define this destination." Two other realms will also be on-site with more to be revealed nearer the time. Andy Jasper, chief executive officer of the Eden Project, said: "This project is profoundly important to us all. "It is not just a project for Morecambe, but for the whole of the UK, and we are delighted to share how the design process is progressing." The huge new UK attraction opening in 2025 with play areas, live shows and cafes – and it's right on the beach An official opening date and ticket prices are yet to be confirmed although the original Eden Project ticket cost around £38 per adult. Originally called Eden Project North, Eden Project Morecambe was first given the go-ahead back in March 2023. Previous plans revealed it is set to cost £100million to build. The new attraction which hopes to welcome 760,000 people a year, follows the success of the original Eden Project in Cornwall which opened in 2021. It has even hosted famous acts such as Elton John, Lionel Richie and Kylie Minogue. 5 And a number of other new Eden Project attractions are set to open in the UK. Eden Project Dundee is set to open in 2030, alongside the River Tay. This has also been delayed from its original 2026 opening date. There is also the £67million Eden Project in Londonderry set to open in Northern Ireland this year. When it does open, it claims to have Europe's biggest undercover playground. In the mean time, here are some other new theme parks and attractions opening in the UK. 5
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Huge £100million beachfront attraction with indoor forests and treehouses forced to delay opening date
THE Eden Project in Morecambe has been pushed back by two years with an even later opening date, The new project costing £100m was expected to open in 2026, but work on the attraction is yet to start. 5 With changes still being made on the design details, Eden Project Morecambe is now expected to open in 2028 - two years later than originally planned. According to the BBC, Local Government Minister Alex Norris confirmed all allocated funding for the project would be in place by early 2026, when building work is likely to get under way. Despite the delay, an updated report has said that "work has been progressing". There will also be a big meeting on June 4 to discuss the Eden Project with Lancaster City Council's budget and performance panel. The Eden Project Morecambe was first given official government approval back in March 2023. It also secured £50million in Levelling Up funding to allow work to commence on the £100million project. The project was originally named Eden Project North, and the hope was that it would have the same success as the Eden Project in Cornwall, which opened in 2001. Plans for the site are very impressive, showing three huge egg-shaped structures looking over the bay. Other images of the potential site reveal walkways linking treehouses, as well as other wooden structures. Once completed, the new Eden Project will be home to a "hyper-real forest" with large installations and immersive theatre. The new £130million Eden Project attraction set to open in the UK 5 The plans also reveal a "Bay Glade" with a well-being landscape and a Natural Observatory for research and education. There will also be an exhibition area and meeting point for guests named the Bay Hall. The attraction will also have children's play areas, restaurants, cafes and a gift shop. The Eden Project website states: " Eden Project Morecambe will be a destination that combines indoor and outdoor experiences, connecting people with the internationally-significant natural environment of Morecambe Bay while also enhancing wellbeing. "Eden Project Morecambe will combine exhibits, performance, learning, play, immersive experiences, world-class horticulture, live music, art, food, beverage and retail spaces, all integrated as essential parts of the overall experience." 5 The site in Morecambe isn't the only one set to open in the UK, there's plans to build another Eden Project in Dundee. The Eden Project Dundee was also expected to open in 2026, but has been pushed back to 2030. The attraction is set to be built along the River Tay and attract as many as 500,000 tourists a year. Another Eden Project set to open is in Londonderry. This one is set to open this year - two years after the original opening date. The Eden Project Foyle in Northern Ireland is costing an estimated £67million and is set to have the biggest undercover play area in Europe. The main attraction will be the Acorn, a "performance area and play space" connected by walkway, with the entire site being the largest undercover play area in Europe. This includes zip wires, rope bridges, slides, floating boardwalks and paths on the roof that both adults and children can walk along. Here's more on Morecambe Bay - which got a huge boost from top ITV show. And a historic UK attraction you can visit now that was named the best in the country by Which?
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside ‘appalling' £14m space-age tower once home to UK's highest motorway restaurant that's rotted away for 35 years
AN ABANDONED tower which was once home to the UK's highest motorway restaurant continues to rot away decades after its closure. The Forton Services, close to Lancaster, waved in motorists using the 3.5-mile stretch of the M6 for the first time in 1965. 3 3 The eye-catching hexagonal Pennine Tower formed part of the complex, and quickly became the site of a posh restaurant for famished drivers. Diners regularly tucked into grilled rainbow trout, fillet steaks, lobster, and local favourites like Lancashire Hot Pot and potted shrimps. It boasted dramatic views of the nearby Morecambe Bay and was likened to a UFO by some visitors. The Forton Services also came complete with self-service cafeterias, baby changing facilities, and showers for lorry drivers. Noreen Blackburn, a former waitress at the Pennine Tower, shared her experiences working at the now-dormant eatery. She said: "As I was eager to learn, my next job was serving tea and coffee tea was made in a huge teapot and poured as necessary coaches made the place very busy. "The phrase used was the 'tea and pee brigade'. "However, my greatest wish was to be a waitress in the 'tower' and I really pushed the catering manager to consider me. "The uniform was so chic in a shade of mid-green with a pencil slim skirt which had to be just above knee level, a white blouse, a waistcoat with shiny chrome buttons and a Top Rank emblem embroidered on it." The shine quickly wore off, with the restaurant slammed as "an insult to one's taste buds" by prominent food critic Egon Ronay. The Forton Services became better known as a rendez-vous point for truckers and pulled the plug in 1989. Recognising its significance, they awarded the tower Grade II listed status in 2012. Detailing its pedigree, the Historic England website says: "Forton demonstrated a new popularist architecture ideally suited to the democratic new aesthetic of the motorway. "The Pennine Tower Restaurant acting both as a beacon to attract the passing motorists and as a glamorous vantage point from which they were able to enjoy spectacular prospects of the motorway below and more extensively over the miles of surrounding countryside through which they [are] passing." Historic England also selected the Pennine Tower amongst eight pieces of architectural prowess inspired by the 1960s space race, culminating in 1969's lunar landing. It cited Forton services as an example of 'Space-age architecture', cheekily describing it as a "Star Wars ship next to a motorway". Online user Rob590 fondly recalled his visits to the unique building. "[In the '90s] Forton was one of the first buildings I grew to love," he said. "From our end it was the first landmark that you were going somewhere - Preston, Blackpool, Manchester or maybe even further. "It seemed impossibly huge, and to my eyes reinforced that we'd left our rural county for something bigger, modern and better."
