A major £29.3million development in Millom could be granted planning permission by councillors next week.
The Iron Line visitors centre would include a café/shop, group room, staff/volunteer toilet facilities and a car park.
Members of Cumberland Council’s executive committee were given a progress report at the town’s Civic Centre on Tuesday where they were asked to approve the procurement to award a contract for an operator of the centre to Story Construction, which was agreed.
Next Wednesday, members of the planning committee will consider the planning application for the centre at a meeting at Allerdale House in Workington.
It is for a site on land at Hodbarrow Nature Reserve, Millom, and it is part of the Millom Town Deal.
The work will include the consolidation, repair and installation of interpretive sculpture to Towsey Hole Windmill, the refurbishment of an existing tern hide, new bird hides/viewing screens, pathways, gateway features, street furniture and demarcation of spaces at existing car park.
It is recommended that members authorise the service manager for development and implementation with delegated authority to approve the application subject to conditions.
According to the report the application site relates to land at Hodbarrow Nature Reserve located immediately next to the Duddon Esturary, around 0.6km to the south of Millom and 0.8km to the east of Haverigg and the application site extends to 57.60 hectares.
It states that the proposed visitor centre is to be located within the northern portion of the application site, at a slightly elevated position, accessed via the shared road with the HWRC.
It adds: “The visitor centre will be in the form of a rotunda structure finished with locally sourced stone and metal rain screen cladding to the walls and a standing seam aluminium roof.
“The proposed building will benefit from a width of 21.2m and an overall height of 10.2m, providing an internal floor space of 412 square metres.
“The building will accommodate within the proposed ground floor operational and volunteer facilities, a group room and toilets, whilst the first floor will incorporate a café and balustraded viewing platform.
“The proposed visitor centre will be served by a car park located to the north west of the building.
“The proposed car park will provide 63 car parking spaces to include five accessible spaces, a space for motor bikes, secure bicycle storage at key points of the site (22 Sheffield stands/44 cycle spaces including space for adaptive cycles) and a drop-off point for coaches to the east of the building.
“EV charging points will be provided within eight of the parking spaces (five standard and three accessible spaces). All spaces within this car park will be chargeable.”
