The potential ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ benefits of a major development project in Barrow outweigh the drawbacks, a borough council planning officer has said.
The council’s planning committee has given its approval to an application for remediation work at the Salthouse Road brownfield site earmarked for the Marina Village project of regeneration and new housing.
Case officer Maureen Smith said, in a report produced ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, that it was expected benefits of the scheme would include the attraction of a skilled workforce to the borough, increased footfall, better connections between the waterfront and town centre, and improved perceptions of Barrow.
She said there was a demonstrable need for the Marina Village and that the potential benefits outweighed the harm caused to ecology as a result of remediation work designed to clear the site for development. This phase of the scheme is to include demolition of existing structures.
“After many years of work, there now seems to be genuine optimism about the potential of this site,” she said.
“Eventually, it is anticipated that the allocated site will become a high-quality development, resulting in wide-ranging economic, social and environmental benefits for the town and borough.”
She acknowledged that, even with on- and off-site measures implemented, this phase of the project would not result in a net gain in biodiversity as was required by planning policy.
“The ecological survey and various ecological and biodiversity reports suggest that, when viewed in isolation, the scheme would have a negative impact on biodiversity.
“However, this application only represents a single phase of a much larger project which, once fully designed, will improve the ecological status from the existing position.
“In consideration of the unique context and complexities of bringing a site like this – with significant constraints – forward for development, the proposal is considered to be appropriate and policy compliant.”
She recommended this phase of the project, which is also to include flood mitigation work and implementation of ecological monitoring, mitigation and enhancement, to Tuesday’s planning committee for approval, which was subsequently granted.
Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness, described the Marina Village project as crucial to improving and diversifying the type of housing available in Barrow.
“It has been part-funded by the £25 million from the Town Deal and also brownfield funding which I helped lobby government on,” he said.
“We need to get this project over the line as it forms a piece with the university campus and the regeneration of the wider dock area.”
