Work to clear and make way for a planned flagship residential development in Barrow is currently taking place.
Barrow’s Marina Village site is undergoing vegetation and general clearance ahead of the breeding bird season to ready it for phase two remediation.
Reptile translocation was also carried out in the summer. The clearance aims to prevent recolonisation before the remediation plans start in February.
Specialist contractor Redstart Northwest Ltd is designing phase two of the remediation of the Marina Village site, which will support upwards of 808 homes and green space.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet is due to decide in January whether to progress with stage two of the remediation design and build contract with Redstart.
A decision on the adoption of the Marina Village Strategic Planning Document, which will aim to guide the transformation of the site into a modern, attractive and desirable place to live, is expected in February.
Planning approval for remediation has been granted for the majority of the site and a planning application for remediation work on the small remaining section of the site without is due to be submitted by the end of the year.
Phases one and two of the 26-hectare site between Cavendish Dock and Salthouse Road will support the 808 new homes.
The council said it hopes the project will strengthen its work with government and BAE Systems as Team Barrow to ensure that interventions needed to support employment opportunities at BAE are transformational, inclusive and long lasting for Barrow, Westmorland and Furness, and beyond.
Homes England pledged £24.8 million earlier this year to fund remediation of phase two of the site. Funding through Brilliant Barrow – regeneration funding from the Government’s Towns Fund – has also supported the scheme.
Phase one of the development – the remediation of six hectares of land funded by £5.5 million secured from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, administered by Cumbria LEP – was completed in November last year.
The Marina Village plan is seen as a vital part of Barrow’s wider regeneration agenda to create a vibrant community and provide new housing in the heart of the town near to centres of education, major employers and local shops and businesses while also changing perceptions of Barrow as a place to live.
Councillor Judith Derbyshire, cabinet members for housing and community safety, said: “Unlocking this former industrial land with the aim of transforming it into a thriving residential community in the centre of Barrow is a major undertaking – and one crucial to the Westmorland and Furness Council’s work supporting major regeneration in the town with BAE Systems Ltd and Government.
“It is fantastic to see such steady progress towards the goal for this site.”
