It is hoped work will begin on Cleator Moor’s four Town Deal projects next year.
It was announced last month that the town has secured £40.9m in funding for its Town Deal – with £22.5m coming from the Government’s Towns Fund and a further £18.4m from match funders.
Now, work to create more detailed plans for each of the projects is under way to allow planning permission to be sought, where required, from spring 2023 onwards.
It is anticipated that construction linked to the projects scheduled for earliest delivery could begin next summer pending planning permission and the successful appointment of contractors via formal tender.
Cleator Moor Town Deal chair Bob Metcalfe, said: “We are now in the exciting delivery phase for the Town Deal projects.
“After all of the hard work to secure the funds, this is where we will get to see the projects coming to life so that the benefits and positive outcomes they can provide across the whole community can take effect.
“A lot has to happen before we’ll see activity at the locations in question and actual spades in the ground. Regeneration schemes like this are extremely complex to deliver. But work behind the scenes is already under way and I look forward to the bright future we have ahead.”
Working with Copeland Borough Council, the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board secured a provisional offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last summer.
Significant match funding sums were pledged by the NDA, Sellafield, and the Copeland Community Fund with further contributions from Copeland Borough Council, Cleator Moor Town Council and Regen North East Copeland.
Business cases confirming the positive impact and long-lasting benefits the projects will deliver were approved by the government after being signed off by the Town Deal Board and Copeland Borough Council.
The promised Government money will now be unlocked over the next four years with the projects working hand in hand to boost levels of health and economic prosperity in Cleator Moor, as well as employment opportunities and inward investment.
The four projects included in the 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 will create new buildings on site including an Enterprise Campus Hub, the refurbishment of existing units and extensive landscaping. The development of the site forms part of the wider regeneration programme being delivered across West Cumbria by iSH, the Industrial Solutions Hub.
- 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.
- Connected Town – this scheme will deliver a high-quality integrated and sustainable transport network which improves connections between employment, education, amenities and leisure and transforms the accessibility and attractiveness of Cleator Moor.
Mike Starkie, Copeland mayor, added: “The level of investment in the town is truly significant and gives us an opportunity to provide projects that have the potential to change lives for years to come.
“Certain things need to happen before you will see development taking place, like planning and further engagement in some cases, but people can rest assured that the process of unlocking these huge benefits – though lengthy – has started already.”
