An announcement about whether the Eden Project North in Morecambe will receive a crucial £50m funding boost is due over the next few days, Beyond Radio understands.
Sources have told us that the announcement is due imminently although there has been no official confirmation either way as yet.
Supporters of the project received a positive sign when on Saturday, The Daily Mirror reported that Eden North was "expected to get the go-ahead".
The national newspaper said the £50m of Levelling Up funding would be unveiled this week and would allow the project to move to its next phase.
In response, a spokesperson for the Eden Project told Beyond Radio they'd had no indication of when an announcement on the fund might be made, beyond what the government has stated publicly.
The government has said that decisions on successful bids for the Levelling Up Round 2 cash would be made by the end of the year.
Lancaster City Council announced in August that they had put in the bid to fund the planned eco-attraction in Morecambe.
On Wednesday, deputy leader Councillor Kevin Frea told fellow councillors at the full Lancaster City Council meeting at Morecambe Town Hall, that the council had not yet heard any news about whether the bid had been successful.
Many other parts of the UK have submitted bids for the grants, and it is hoped that Eden will be one of two successful bids in the 'culture and heritage investment' category.
It has been estimated that the Eden Project North could pull 740,000 visitors to Morecambe annually.
It would combine indoor and outdoor attractions, themed around Morecambe Bay, and will include plants, art and interactive exhibits, a concert area for live music events, three cafe/restaurants and a visitor centre.
Around 300 high-quality green jobs would be directly created by Eden Project North, plus more than 1,000 additional new jobs supported in the region.
The Eden team hope to be on site to begin work early next year, should their bid be approved.
The Eden Project visitor attraction in Cornwall has transformed the region's economy since opening in 2000.
A Government contribution of £50m would form half of the projected £100m cost of building the eco-attraction on the central Promenade, with the remainder of the funds coming from private and philanthropic sources.
Partners working with the Eden Project on Eden Project North are Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Lancaster University.
Planning permission was unanimously granted by Lancaster City Council in January.
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