Plans for more than 800 new homes in Barrow have taken a step forward.
Cabinet members for Westmorland and Furness Council voted in favour of awarding Redstart Northwest Ltd a contract worth up to £16.5 million to carry out the remediation of the Phase 2 Marina Village site.
The 26-hectare site between Cavendish Dock and Salthouse Road will provide 808 new homes, a nature conservation area and new public open spaces.
Deputy leader of Westmorland and Furness Council Andrew Jarvis said: “This marks a critical milestone in delivering our vision for this development, providing much needed housing and unlocking the potential of significant growth of this site as part of a wider regeneration of Barrow.”
Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, has pledged £24.8 million to fund the delivery of phase two of the site.
The council said the scheme was a vital part of Barrow’s wider regeneration agenda and will provide new housing in the heart of the town, near major employers and local shops.
A report prepared for the cabinet says the council has cleared the site, except for the still operational Salthouse Road Waste Depot, from a significant reptile population.
The reptile translocation was carried out in the summer and clearance will prevent recolonisation before the remediation, which is planned to start in February, begins, the council added.
According to council documents, the project also aims to relocate the Salthouse Road waste depot in 2025 with a feasibility and outline design study underway relating to a temporary location.
As well as the remediation of the site, the construction phase will also involve the realignment of Cavendish Dock Road.
Phase one of the development, which involved the remediation of six hectares of land, was completed in November 2023.
The council said the development will strengthen the council’s work with the Government and BAE Systems to ensure that interventions needed to support employment opportunities at BAE are ‘transformational for the town.
Cabinet member for housing and community safety, Councillor Judith Derbyshire labelled the project visionary and said: “I look forward to seeing how it moves forward.”
According to council documents the redevelopment of Barrow’s waterfront was a long-held ambition for the former Barrow Borough Council spanning more than two decades.
A report prepared for the cabinet in 2024 said: “Success has been realised through the completion of the Waterfront Business Park on Barrow Island, and the attraction of major offshore wind investors to the Port of Barrow, however, progress stalled on the major housing allocation following the 2008 recession and public spending austerity measures.
“Realisation of this element will deliver significant change on the Site itself and deliver wider benefits in terms of investor confidence to the rest of the town.”
Cabinet members approved the awarding of a contract when they met on January 21 at Voreda House in Penrith.
