Time is running out for residents to have their say on plans for a major proposed development on Walney Island.
A consultation carried out by Westmorland and Furness Council on plans to develop a community space focused on the outdoors at Earnse Bay ends tomorrow, August 1.
The latest designs for the site will see the creation of a space focused on outdoor activities, free to access trails and an opportunity to camp overnight in a purpose built and sensitively sited area.
A new building on the site will be used to provide facilities and a community space.
It is also proposed that a new outdoor centre built by Natural England and funded via the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will provide workshops, classrooms and meeting rooms.
The council said feedback will be used to refine the scheme prior to the submission of a planning amendment later this year.
The new development forms part of the Brilliant Barrow Community Hubs project and will be funded through Brilliant Barrow, as well as Natural England via the National Lottery Heritage Fund and DEFRA.
It will aim to provide people of all ages with the opportunity to access the outdoors in a range of ways to deliver long term benefits for their health and wellbeing as well as for sustainability and the environment.
Leader of the council Jonathan Brook said: “This is a wonderful location right on our doorstep and its essential that we get the right scheme for the community so that it can deliver huge benefits for the whole area.
“My thanks go to everyone who attended the drop-in sessions to take a look at the revised proposals and to offer their valuable feedback. This will be used to further inform the development of the scheme – one that will truly have been designed and developed in partnership with local people.”
Alongside the Brilliant Barrow Town Deal Funding, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded Natural England, Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Art Gene initial funding to develop a five-year project.
The council say the Earnse Project intends to operate from the new community space and will be delivered across the town.
An online survey is available here: https://consult.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/westmorland-and-furness-council/earnse-bay-community-space
