Barrow Marina Village homes project set to hit major milestone

Westmorland and Furness Cabinet members will formally decide on Tuesday (January 23) whether to accept the proposed BIL (Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land) funding.

A report will recommend that the authority enter into a grant funding agreement which would set out the roles of both the council and HE to instigate phase two of the project.

Phase 1 of the development was completed in November which saw the remediation of the first six hectares of land.

The Marina Village Scheme aims to provide 808 new homes, significantly more than the 650 allocated in the local plan, as well as a nature conservation area and new public open spaces.

The mostly council-owned 25-hectare scrubland, located between Cavendish Dock Road and Salthouse Road, would see a mix of housing types, including apartments, as well as traditional housing.

A report prepared for the meeting said: "he redevelopment of Barrow’s waterfront was a long-held ambition for Barrow Borough Council spanning more than two decades.

"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."

An agreement would help to deliver significant change at the site and is hoped to deliver wider benefits in terms of investor confidence.

Almost all of the site is in Westmorland and Furness Council’s ownership.

There are a small number of land parcels that are in private ownership however and negotiations with the third-party landowners are currently in progress.

As a last resort, the authority will use its powers of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) if an agreement is not made within the lengthy time requirements.

The council says design proposals take into account the historic environment, landscape, sustainable drainage, public realm, energy and infrastructure, as well as climate and environmental risks.

According to council documents, if a Marina Village Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is supported by Cabinet members, this will be used to transform of the site into a modern, attractive and desirable place to live.

A public consultation would then take place on a draft SPD over a six-week period.

Responses will be assessed and if amendments are required, the draft will be updated.

It is anticipated that the SPD will be brought back to cabinet in spring of 2024 to be adopted.

The allocation of the site for housing was consulted on as part of the development of the Barrow Borough Local Plan in 2018.

The rejuvenation of the site on the north side of Buccleuch Dock is part of a wider regeneration initiative.

The redevelopment of Barrow’s waterfront was a long-held ambition for Barrow Borough Council spanning more than two decades.

The Marina Village has been called a 'major milestone' in this and is located close to higher education facilities, strategic employment sites and major employers.