Plans to help Cleator Moor become a better connected town have been revealed.
Working with Copeland Borough Council, the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board secured an offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last summer.
Four projects have now reached the crucial business case assurance stage, meaning detailed plans have been submitted for internal assessment ahead of final submission to the Government later this year.
Connected Town is one of the projects and seeks to enhance the image of Cleator Moor, reduce congestion, provide more opportunities for local residents and visitors to walk and cycle, and provide links to the West Cumbria Cycle Network and the popular C2C cycle route.
Chair of the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board, Bob Metcalfe, said: “There are huge potential benefits linked to the Connected Town project.
“Making Cleator Moor a safer, less congested, better connected and more welcoming place to live, work and visit is central to all four of our Town Deal projects. Connected Town touches on each of these key areas.
”Town Deal is about affecting real and tangible change and I believe Connected Town will help us to do that.”
As part of the proposals, seven locations across the town have been highlighted as areas where money could be invested in new or improved paths for cyclists and pedestrians.
They are Mill Hill to the Leconfield Industrial Estate; Leconfield Industrial Estate to Birks Road; The Square; Aldby Grove to the east of Wath Brow Junction; Market Square to Cleator Mills link; the Leconfield to Activity Centre link and the Leconfield Industrial Estate links.
There are also plans to improve the wider cycling infrastructure through improvements such as the introduction of cycle parking.
The Connected Town project also includes proposed improvements to three road junctions – Wath Brow the Bowthorn Road/Whitehaven Road junction and the Leconfield junction.
And there are plans to enhance gateways into Cleator Moor – the main entry points by road – to provide a positive first experience for people travelling into the town.
Mike Starkie, Copeland mayor, said: “It is great to see the projects moving forward and coming to life.
“The town has some fantastic walking and cycling opportunities already but to bring them together, to connect them, would really be of benefit to everyone.”
The other projects in the Cleator Moor Town Deal are:
- Enterprising Town – the redevelopment of the existing Leconfield Industrial Estate to provide employment and training opportunities for residents in Cleator Moor as well as helping to diversify the local economy. The proposal would create new buildings on site including an Enterprise Campus Hub, the refurbishment of existing units and extensive landscaping.
- Revitalised Town – to increase activity and footfall around the Town Square by bringing vacant and under-utilised buildings back into active use while creating an attractive new public realm. Uses will include a new cultural community hub and enhanced business space.
- Healthy Town – To enhance existing sports and leisure provision to create a modern multi-purpose centre including an indoor sports hall, flexible studio space, gym and café, alongside wider health and well-being provision. This will improve population health and generate more reasons for people to visit and spend time in Cleator Moor.
- Further details for each of the projects will be made available after the assurance stage is complete when people will be able to comment on the proposals before submission to Government later this year.
A public exhibition with display boards showcasing the latest updates from all four projects will be held at the Cleator Moor Civic Hall on Tuesday May 24 between 2pm and 4pm and 5pm and 7pm.
