Funding secured for Carlisle Station Gateway

Carlisle Lake District Airport is to receive a Government grant of up to £8m, a sum that would effectively wipe out its business rates bill for 2020-21.

The roads authority has issued an update as it seeks to finalise land deals and route options ahead of the next round of consultation on the Northern Trans-Pennine project.

Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness and Warrington are among the first seven locations to have funding bids accepted as part of the Government’s much-vaunted levelling-up programme.

Work has started on the Solway Coaster project, which will see a 14.1km route between Allonby and Silloth created, joining onto the established cycleway between Maryport and Allonby.

The county council has launched the search for a contractor to design and build the Carlisle Southern Link Road, a key piece of infrastructure intended to help unlock the proposed 10,000-home St Cuthbert’s Garden Village.

The North West scooped the highest value of infrastructure contract awards in 2019 of all UK regions, thanks mainly to the £1.5bn Sellafield decommissioning project, according to data analyst Barbour ABI.

This year will see fresh services launched including a development map to complement news stories and branded content production for partners.

A £2.5m contract for design services on Carlisle’s £112m southern link road has been won by Capita Property & Infrastructure.

Cumbria County Council and its partners have kicked off the search for a design team for the redevelopment of Carlisle’s railway station and The Citadels, with options including enhanced retail space, improved access, and higher education uses.