£100m Eden Project Morecambe to take major step forward next week
Lancaster City Council is expected to give its backing to the potentially town-transforming attraction for the second time, having granted consent for the original, larger version of the scheme more than four years ago.
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the £100m Eden Project Morecambe would be constructed on the 11-acre former Bubbles Leisure Complex and Superdome site on the town’s promenade and has long been thought of as a potential catalyst for Morecambe’s revival.
The project underwent a “strategic recalibration” last year on viability grounds. While the version of the scheme approved in 2022 featured four domes totaling just shy of 200,000 sq ft, the built elements of the latest iteration total less than 100,000 sq ft.
Meanwhile, the external spaces – including the 1.5-acre Bring me Sunshine Garden – have been enhanced.
The version of the attraction up for approval next week features two domed eco-systems, the Realm of the Sun and the Realm of the Moon.
The two ‘shells’ would be connected by the 7,750 sq ft Metronome building – the arrival point for guests.
The 18,300 sq ft Realm of the Moon, covered by darkened paneling, would feature the Tidal Theatre experience – a simulated cycle of day and night expected to emulate the rising and falling tides of Morecambe Bay.
A hyper-real forest, with live plants fused with artistic installations, kinetic sculptures, and immersive experiences, would be found within the larger 41,700 sq ft Realm of the Sun.
The Rhythm Garden and All Seasons Garden, also feature. Rhythm Gardens, the larger of the two, would be an open-air space capable of hosting events and performances.
Lancaster City Council has recommended the project for approval when its planning committee meets next Monday. A planning report states that the scheme could have “far-reaching environmental, social and economic benefits” and has generated “genuine optimism” about what the development could do for the town.
The original approved application can be viewed using the planning reference number 21/01113/FUL. For the latest proposals, use 25/01118/VCN on Lancaster City Council’s planning portal. Ridge, TEP, and WSP are advising on the scheme.
Applicant Eden Project Morecambe is owned by the Eden Trust educational charity, which is behind a similar scheme in St Austell, Cornwall.
The company is delivering the Morecambe scheme with Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, and Lancaster University, and expects it to welcome 500,000 visitors a year once open in 2028.
The complexity of the project and various economic headwinds have held back delivery to date. Eden Project, which appointed a dedicated project director to see the scheme through last year, is confident of a start on site this year.
