WORK is set to get underway to prepare Barrow’s Marina Village site for remediation, leading to future redevelopment by the private sector.
The high profile location has been allocated for regeneration to provide an area of high quality mixed housing and nature conservation – helping to diversify the housing offer in the town and provide a new leisure offer.
Activity on the site is expected to begin in the next fortnight, starting with new security fencing around the perimeter to allow workers to carry out their operations safely.
Alongside some groundwork preparation, reptile fencing will be installed across a large portion of the area. This is so that specially trained ecologists can capture and relocate slow worms and common lizards into new habitat near Cavendish Dock and on Walney Island. This will enable a planning application to be progressed later this year.
Work will also commence to create a new reptile habitat at the rear of the Marina Village site so slow worms and common lizards can be transferred away from the main housing area while encouraging new wildlife into the nature conservation zone.
Councillor Ann Thomson, leader of Barrow Borough Council, said: “This is a significant step forward for the Marina Village site – the development of which has been a long-held ambition for us all.
“This work will prepare the site – effectively unlocking it for the future so that the vision of new homes in the heart of our town can move a step closer.
“The location, though brownfield, holds some interesting and important wildlife in the form of slow worms and common lizards.
“Part of this work is to create a new nature conservation habitat that will not only provide a home for the species on site, it will actually encourage more wildlife, something that will enhance the whole area.”
Councillor Thomson added: “The Marina Village site has been allocated for development for a number of years now. This is a really positive move towards our long term goal of seeing the land transformed into a thriving community surrounded by nature conservation areas in the centre of Barrow.”
Residents are advised that there will be no access to the Marina Village once the security fencing is in place for safety reasons.
Businesses on Salthouse Road and Cavendish Dock Road will continue to operate as normal while the works are underway.
Residents with any queries should please email [email protected]
