Eden Project Morecambe Gets Approval
The £100 million Eden Project Morecambe received approval from Lancaster City Council after years of planning adjustments that included halving its size and reducing signature domes from four to two. The project will transform an 11-acre site on the UK's northwest coast into a garden and sustainability destination focused on regional regeneration.
- The project's £100 million cost is half-funded by a £50 million grant from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund, with the remaining £50 million being raised through private and philanthropic sources. - The approved design features two main shell-shaped domes: "The Realm of the Sun," which will house a bright, tropical landscape, and "The Realm of the Moon," a darker, immersive experience themed around the lunar rhythms and tides of Morecambe Bay. - Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with a 1.5-acre community garden planned to open to the public for free in early 2027, ahead of the main attraction's full opening in 2028. - Economists project the attraction will create approximately 274 direct jobs and support an additional 1,000 jobs in the wider regional economy. - The project is a partnership between the Eden Project charity and local institutions including Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, and Lancaster University. - The architectural firm behind the design is Grimshaw, the same firm that designed the original Eden Project in a former clay pit in Cornwall. - The original Eden Project in Cornwall, which opened in 2001, has contributed more than £1.7 billion to the local economy, providing a model for the expected regeneration in Morecambe. - The plans were revised in 2025 as a "strategic recalibration" due to cost inflation, which saw the internal space reduced by half and the projected annual visitor numbers adjusted to around 585,000.
