Lancaster fires starting gun for £50m leisure opportunity
With Eden Project Morecambe due to start on site soon, the city council has begun the hunt for a development partner to deliver a leisure-led redevelopment of the former Frontierland site nearby.
An earlier exercise in 2022 aimed at gauging developer appetite for the site “received good interest”, according to the city council.
However, the majority of the proposals put forward for the former Frontierland site were housing-led, with an ancillary hotel or leisure component.
Having said it would do so in March 2023, Lancaster City Council has now relaunched the £50m development opportunity just a few weeks after hosting an investment tour in Morecambe.
The council is encouraging bids from commercial leisure, hospitality, and mixed-use developers or consortia to promote and develop a “comprehensive leisure and hospitality-led development” to capitalise on the increase in visitor numbers expected following the creation of Eden Project Morecambe.
Tender documents for the opportunity warn against a retailed-focused scheme.
“There is no support for significant retail on the site, as this would only detract from the traditional town centre shopping streets,” the documents state.
Jonathan Noad, chief officer for sustainable growth at Lancaster City Council, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to transform one of Morecambe’s most iconic sites into a vibrant destination that will benefit both our residents and the growing number of visitors to the area.
“The redevelopment will play a key role in helping Morecambe thrive by boosting the local economy and improving leisure offerings for the community. We’re keen to hear from developers who share our vision and can help us deliver a lasting legacy for the town.”
The procurement process is now open for submissions, and the deadline for interested parties to submit their bids is January 31 2025.
The redevelopment of the site has been in the works for more than a decade. In 2014, the city council approved plans from developer Opus North for a 120,000 sq ft of retail space, 15,000 sq ft for restaurants, pubs and cafes, a 62-bedroom hotel and 336 car parking spaces.
Those plans never came to fruition and the city council acquired the site in 2021 more than 20 years after the Western-style theme park closed down.
It’s important to utilise this space for a mixed use development. using the site for Car parks and commercial space is following in the same footsteps as previous failed plans.
By Anonymous
Hopefully any accommodation will include secure indoor cycle storage for those wanting to cycle the Way of the Roses transpennine cycle route, which starts/finishes there.
By Cav