More details on a £3 million bid to develop and revitalise Egremont have been revealed.
Egremont’s Town Team has developed three projects that aim to improve the town that is putting forward in a bid to obtain the money from Borderlands Inclusive Growth Funding.
The improvement projects include the redevelopment of the former Red Lion site, the development of Florence Arts Centre and plans to improve street signage and parking space for a range of vehicles to better connect the town.
If the bid is successful – work on each of the projects would take place over the next few years.
A drop-in session was held yesterday afternoon and evening on the plans in Egremont Market Hall where further details on the improvement projects were revealed.
The details of the three schemes include:
Redevelopment of the former Red Lion site
This project will see the redevelopment of the former Red Lion Hotel site to provide a new, attractive public space.
The site has been vacant since February 2020 when the hotel was demolished – leaving a gap and empty space between buildings on main street.
Several ideas for an accessible public park-style greenspace or open courtyard have been put forward for the site.
These ideas include a landscaped courtyard offering outdoor seating, pop-up indoor space – such as shipping containers – for vendors or workshops, some play/gym equipment, food/beverage units and public toilets.
Other options for the site include turning it into a park-style greenspace.
Facilities on site could include public toilets, a small food/beverage unit, large areas of planting to create a quiet space away from the main street, a play area and the conversion of an existing unit in the centre of the site for vendors or local people looking to host meetings or workshops.
All design ideas have also put forward ideas for how the site would be accessed from main street.
A gate, wall or other kind of frontage must be created in line with heritage conservation efforts in the town.
Ideas include creating a wall of open archways, creating a raised gateway to the site to re-establish the roof line of buildings on the main street, and a canopy with gated access.
The redeveloped site would also connect via gated access to Beck Green Car Park, with possibilities of future development.
A raised table crossing is also being considered to create safer access to the site from market place.
Future development of a boarded up vacant building to the rear of the site is also a possibility.
Development of Florence Arts Centre
This project will develop the cultural and heritage offer at the centre while improving public access to the site and expanding opportunities for the community, artists and creative groups to use the space there.
The arts centre has trebled its visitor figures in recent years and is aiming to improve its facilities and create a new entrance and a bigger cafe space with the support of the Borderlands funding.
Ideas to boost site accessibility through improved landscaping, carparking and town signage are also being put forward along with plans to improve lighting in the underpass on Little Mill Road, which leads to the centre.
The centre also has plans to incorporate green technology in its improvement works to support its sustainability goals. This includes ideas to better insulate the main building and explore the use of things like solar panels on site.
In the long run – the centre is aiming to obtain funding to undertake a larger redevelopment of the site, which could include the creation of artist studios, holiday pods and more to help bring visitors to the town.
Connecting Egremont
This project will develop new signage and information boards to support the development of a Town Trail, promoting the town’s key attractions.
Plans to add footway inlays to support a Town Trail and improve the main street are also being considered.
It will also consider electric vehicle charging points, campervan spaces and facilities and additional cycle parking, to encourage visitors and residents to stay longer in the town centre.
The town team, made up of representatives from the community, is chaired by Councillor Sam Pollen.
He said: “This is the start of what we have been talking about for a long time, the regeneration of Egremont.
“It has been a long time coming, but regardless of the politics, we all want the best for our town and this regeneration plan is about doing things together in partnership and it involves every part of the community.
“Egremont is being recognised as a land of opportunities and the plans we’ve put forward are really ambitious, but just look at our town.
“We’re five minutes from the fells, cycle routes and the coastline, we’re right next to the area’s major employer Sellafield, we have fantastic schools, arts, culture and heritage and our castle is the jewel in the crown.
“We’ve also got plans for 250 new homes in the area, we have Growing Well and Florence Arts Centre and the new Aldi on the way.
“So why wouldn’t we be ambitious? We live in the best place in Cumbria and we should have had this a long time ago. But I am confident we will get the funds we need and I am really enthused by the plans we have for the future.
“It’s not an if, it’s a when. We are going to deliver real regeneration to this town.”
An online survey to have your say on the plans is still available to be completed until Wednesday January 8 at www.cumberland.gov.uk/have-your-say
