The Prince of Wales met key members of the team working on the proposed Eden Project North attraction during his visit to Morecambe on Friday (July 8).
His Royal Highness was given a presentation on the vision for the project, with a particular focus on the new sustainable technologies that will be featured in its design and construction, by the Eden Project’s David Harland, Chief Global Growth Officer, Tim Narey, Eden Project North Project Director, and Professor Michael Depledge CBE, Chief Scientific Advisor.
The Eden Project presentation took place in Morecambe’s iconic Winter Gardens, which is just over the road from the Eden Project North site.
His Royal Highness was hosted by Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Chair of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, and shown the extensive restoration the Grade II* listed theatre has undergone. His Royal Highness also viewed the Royal Box and unveiled a plaque to mark the 125th Anniversary of the Winter Gardens.
In addition to his meetings with the Eden Project and Winter Gardens team, His Royal Highness also met local organisations LiNa Energy, who are pioneering the creation of sodium-nickel-chloride batteries, and Morecambe Bay Foodbank, a project founded by local churches and community groups, working together to stop hunger in the local area.
David Harland said: “It was an honour to meet His Royal Highness, talking about our plans for Eden Project North in Morecambe. We were pleased to share how we will incorporate exciting new renewable and sustainable technologies into the project.
“We hope His Royal Highness enjoyed his time in Morecambe and is as impressed as we are with the exciting and innovative things happening in the North West.”
Eden Project North has been heralded as a major new exemplar attraction, showcasing sustainable design and reimagining the British seaside resort for the 21st century.
The project’s “shell like” domes will be constructed in timber and covered in a flexible transparent membrane with integrated solar cells. These four shells – known as the Rhythm Machine, the Bay Glade, the Bay Hall and the Natural Observatory – are set in a “dunescape” of landscaped roofing planted with coastal vegetation.
Eden Project North is being developed by the team behind the Eden Project in Cornwall, in partnership with Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster University and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.
The project was unanimously granted planning permission by Lancaster City Council in January this year (2022) and, subject to funding, is due to open to the public in 2024.
Lancaster City Council plans to submit a bid for £50m of pubic investment in Eden Project North to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.