An ambitious project to create an enterprise hub in Cleator Moor has been given the green light.
Outline planning consent has been granted for the hub, on the Leconfield Industrial Estate, which is part of one of the £40.9 million Town Deal projects, funded by the Government.
The proposed 4,000 square metre hub building, which forms a major element of Enterprising Town, would become the new focal point of the Leconfield Industrial Estate, helping to create links between existing tenants, outside users, the education and skills sector, the Cleator Moor community and the wider public, its developers said.
It includes a car park to the front of the building with space for 100 vehicles.
Copeland Borough Council’s planning committee this week approved the development in principle pending the submission of more detailed plans in the future.
Bob Metcalfe, chair of the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board, said: “This is a major step forward for the Enterprising Town project as it will go on to act as a catalyst for growth and a whole host of economic and social benefits for Cleator Moor and the wider community for a generation.
“We now know that the redevelopment of the Leconfield site, including the development of a hub providing a range of exciting possibilities for the future, has secured planning approval in principle.
“This isn’t full planning permission. But it does mean that we can go on to develop more detailed plans so that they can be resubmitted further down the line.”
The wider Enterprising Town project includes the refurbishment of some existing units on the Leconfield Industrial Estate, landscaping and improved biodiversity.
Work has already taken place to clear part of the estate previously used by a skip company, tidying the area to make way for the proposed hub building in the future.
Once completed, the hub building will form part of Industrial Solutions Hub – a wider project of international significance designed to create jobs and opportunities for businesses and organisations to collaborate and enhance skills while harnessing a range of economic and social benefits on behalf of the community.
It was announced this week that Copeland Borough Council had been successful in securing £20m of investment from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for phase two of the iSH Enterprise Campus.
John Maddison, iSH managing director, said: “The hub building will provide a focal point for innovation and diversification and will bring businesses, organisations and the community together to collaborate in a physical space with relevant equipment and facilities, increasing capability, and creating jobs and opportunities for people living in the area, benefiting our communities and the environment.”
