Millom’s £7.1m Iron Line funding set in stone

Cumberland Council’s executive committee has confirmed the cash to Story Contracting, which is set to transform RSPB Hodbarrow Reserve and a former seaside rail line into a four-mile walking and cycle route, as well as create a visitor hub.

The cornerstone of the £10m Iron Line project is the community visitor centre, which will host a 3,800 sq ft café and space for group learning and community events.

Should work start late this year as planned, Carlisle-based Story Contracting will complete the scheme by March 2026, by which point 74 acres of green space will have been improved, and 37 acres will be rehabilitated for wildlife.

The Iron Line follows a four-mile circular route around a coastal lagoon, formed out of a flooded iron mine. Part of the scheme will be built on an existing sea wall, which once protected the mine.

Public art, alongside cultural and educational features, will be dotted along the pathway.

David Savage, Chair of the Millom Town Deal Board, said: “This is another step forward on the Town Deal journey, with further decisions and approvals to be in place before we can actively get on with delivering this exciting project.

“The Iron Line [will] bring new opportunities, jobs, and the potential for further investment into the town.”

The Iron Line follows a circular route around a coastal lagoon, formed out of a flooded iron mine. Credit: RSPB

The Millom Town Deal is supported by £20.6m from Whitehall. A further £8.7m in match funding has been supported by Sellafield, Millom Town Council, and CGP Books.

Three other schemes are to be facilitated under the Millom Town Deal programme.

The Activating Community Health programme calls for the building of a leisure hub with a community swimming pool, with the potential to attract 260,000 visitors a year.

In addition, the Reactivating Heritage Buildings Town Deal initiative aims to restore vacant town centre buildings and the Connecting Millom and Haverigg initiative seeks to improve transport links in the area.

Cllr Mark Fryer, Leader of Cumberland Council, added: “The approval of funding for the Iron Line represents a significant investment in Millom’s future.

“This decision underlines Cumberland Council’s commitment to driving sustainable regeneration, strengthening our visitor economy, and delivering high-quality infrastructure that benefits residents and attracts new opportunities to the area.”

In 2022, Landscape + Urbanism practice Layer.Studio won a global competition to become a design partner for the project. The design team included Architects Plus, Gagarin Studio, Greengage, Placed, Curtins, Project Four, and BWA.

Those interested in the Millom Iron Line can use reference number 4/23/2249/0F1 on Cumberland Council’s planning portal.