Eden Project Morecambe boss updates on latest developments

The man tasked with seeing the Eden Project Morecambe through to completion says plenty of work has been done in recent months to move the build of the £100m attraction forward.

John Pye was appointed project director on the planned £100m scheme earlier this year and has been described as 'employee number one'.

The Eden Project Morecambe will be a new visitor attraction, to be built on the central Morecambe Promenade from 2026 and due to open in winter 2028.

In an interview with David Waddington, Chairman of Morecambe BID, Mr Pye said there had been a lot of work going on behind the scenes in recent months, in areas including planning, design and staff recruitment.

Here’s what John had to say about a range of matters to do with the project.

Site investigations

‘’We've obviously done the site investigations, which people got very excited about, and rightly so, because that's the first diggers on the ground. But that's to inform our sort of next stage of plans…(an) understanding of what's under the ground, and any contamination risks.

‘’And the good thing is that on the whole, it's pretty much as we expected it to be. So what that does is put a real emphasis that the designs that we're developing and the costs that go associated with those are pretty robust, which at this stage, it's always quite a nervous moment, digging holes in the ground and thinking that you're going to find something really horrendous.’’

Planning

‘’Design-wise, we're layering the details that we're putting up for the planning submission.

‘’And it's really developing the design so that people understand how the visitor experience will work, how the mechanical and electrical installations will be integrated.

‘’But importantly, what we're going to be doing from a sustainability aspect, because that's a really big ticket item for us. We’re going to be a pilot project for UK Net Zero. So we want to be a a net zero carbon project.

‘’So it's quite pioneering and it's a very high threshold benchmark.

‘’And because it's so unique, it's not an office block, it's not a school. We're really having to work hard to integrate the criteria into our design.

Recruitment

‘’Loads and loads of excitement about wanting to work for Eden. But people are giving up livelihoods, their current jobs to make a leap of faith to join this fantastic project. And I'm really pleased to say that we've got Rachel, who's joined as a finance manager.

‘’We've got Gemma and Robin, who have joined the team from a fundraising perspective, because that's really important for us. We've got Dewey, who's a senior project manager, who started in December. And then the last of the first tranche, and it is the first tranche, is Stacey, as a project engagement and communications manager, wo will start end of February, early March next year.’’

‘’So I'm really seeing the cavalry coming over the hill to support me in delivering this project. And much needed as the snowball of momentum gains, recruitment has to be just one of the parts of that. 

‘’I've been flying solo for six months now, but with great support of the community, our partners, City and County Council as well, and the universities, it's a collaborative project and it's one that you never really feel alone delivering.’’

Design plans

‘’It’s going to be a landmark for Morecambe, I think locally, nationally, in Cornwall everybody recognises the domes by the very nature. The biome shell complemented by the realm of the moon with that shell-shaped structure, I think is a nice new twist and something special for Morecambe.

‘’The dome in itself is going to be 30 metres tall, three double-decker buses high, and that'll be higher than the Winter Gardens, higher than the Midland Hotel, just to give a sort of sense of scale, but in essence because it's quite transparent it won't be domineering in the landscape.

‘’Also in the evening with night-time economy as well, having the dome lit I think will, even if the visitor attraction is closed, still look amazing. It's like having our own massive illumination.’’

Public garden

‘’A space of 1.6 acres will all be accessible in the public realm, so anybody can freely access this space along with the north and central promenade. This has been designed by Harry Holden Studios who's working with the community.

‘’This will be pretty much the very first thing that people see and experience, so we want this to be a really joyful, playful, a really high quality horticulture experience that respects the site, respects the buildings and gives that quality approach.

‘’This is a real strong anchor point for what we want to develop and this will be ahead of the main build programme, so our intention is that a very small proportion of the garden will be showcased at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, so Morecambe will get a big, big mention in that, and the media coverage for Chelsea as you know is huge, so that puts Morecambe on the map.

‘’Harry and his team are going to deliver it there and then decant that garden and then bring it to Morecambe in its component parts, and will be integrated into a brand new design, with a sweeping pathway, with a water feature in the middle, lots of biodiversity, places to sit out, picnic, there'll be a shelter structure so people can use it for gatherings, events, and education.

‘’In terms of when this is going to be delivered, we're looking at work starting next year after Chelsea Flower Show, then into the planting season at the back end of 2026, with a grand opening of this garden in the spring of 2027 because we want a lot of colour to be established, before we open the doors.

The future

‘’What we need to keep giving back on this project is moments of excitement because it's a long time to the end of 2028 when we're going to deliver this, so we want people to be brought on the journey.

‘’Whether we can have experiences to showcase what we're doing as a construction site, I'm sure we'll be working with the main contractor to make that happen.’’

Click here to listen to an extended interview John gave to Beyond Radio in September:

INTERVIEW: Eden Project Morecambe boss gives in-depth update

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