Almost £10m secured to transform town

6 hours ago

Ed HansonEgremont

News image — An artist's impression of how the redevelopment of the former Red Lion site in Egremont would look like

Cumberland Council An artist's impression of how the redevelopment of the former Red Lion site in Egremont would look like. It is a low building with a flat roof. A porch stands in front of the building, with arches to access a public open space behind it. — An artist's impression of how the redevelopment of the former Red Lion site in Egremont would look like

Almost £10m in funding has been secured to transform derelict parts of a town.

The plans involve redeveloping Egremont's former Red Lion pub site, which has stood empty for 20 years, into a community space and upgrading the Florence Arts Centre into a performance facility with a café.

Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Copeland Community Fund have promised £6.74m, on top of £3m pledged by the government from its Borderlands Growth Fund in June.

Cumberland Labour councillor Sam Pollen said it was "really exciting" for the town, with work to improve sports, play areas and amenities starting soon and the rest of the project taking a year to 18 months to complete.

Pollen, who is chair of the Egremont Town Team, said the former Red Lion site would be a "real inviting space for people to come and visit and spend time" with "lots of opportunities for businesses and for community groups".

He said the area had been "derelict too long and now it will become part of the beating heart of the main street".

Cumberland Councillor Sam Pollen stands in the street. He is wearing a dark green shirt and jacket. He is wearing thick black framed glasses and a bald head. — Cumberland councillor Sam Pollen said there would be "lots of opportunities for business"

The Florence Arts Centre, located on the outskirts of Egremont, is on the site of an old iron ore mine and is housed in the shower block the miners used.

It will be redeveloped to include a new performance space and café, studios and the conservation of the original mine buildings.

Director Sue Mackay described the plans as "fantastic", adding "the other important aspect of what we're doing is celebrating and conserving the heritage of the site".

Pollen said the council would be engaging with residents in the following weeks "listening to how we best use this space for the community, for business and for the town".

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