Carlisle’s Tribe site will be dismantled, Cumberland Council said.
Tribe Carlisle – repurposed storage containers for small businesses in Bitts Park – was operated by a community interest company, but it went into liquidation barely a year after it was formed.
It was described as a cultural and creative courtyard for the city and Tribe Carlisle said the site would fuse a modern street food market and independent retail to showcase local brands.
After the company went into liquidation, the site’s management was handed back to the then Carlisle City Council in November 2022.
Tribe was set up with £150,000 of Government cash in 2021 and planning approval for the site runs out at the end of March 2026.
Now, Cumberland Council said the area would be revamped and the storage containers would be repurposed as most of the site is vacant.
Charities and social enterprises in Cumberland are set to benefit, it said.
They will be passed on to organisations including The ReBuild Site CIC, Watchtree Wheelers at Watchtree Nature Reserve and Workington Comets speedway.
The organisations are covering the transportation costs, and the council is in the process of drawing together an improvement plan for the site once the units have been removed tomorrow, Friday September 13.
The Tasty Greek, a takeaway café business popular with visitors to Bitts Park, will remain on the site as will the public toilets.
Cumberland Council said local artist Lydia Leith has been commissioned to spruce up the exterior of the Bitts Park lodge.
Lydia and her father Paul, have previously created murals for the subway entrance from Bitts Park to Hardwicke Circus. The artwork is to improve the look of the building while the long-term plans for the site are being looked into, the authority added.
Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s executive member for vibrant and healthy places, said: “Bitts Park has recently undergone a series of works, including the reopening of the tennis courts and a revamp of the site with hard and soft landscaping improvements.
“Plans are now being developed for the Tribe site. The container units were always intended to be temporary, and it is great to see that we have found new uses for them – to the benefit of local charitable organisations. I’m also delighted that Lydia has been commissioned to provide some artistic flair to the Bitts Park lodge building.”
Bitts Park car park will be closed tomorrow, Friday September 13, so the units can be moved.
