Cumbria County Council are delighted to have received full support from Barrow Borough Council for the planning application for a multi-million-pound outdoor community and environmental education centre.

The move marks a milestone in the ongoing development of the centre which forms part of the #BrilliantBarrow Community Hubs project and is proposed for a site owned by Cumbria County Council in Earnse Bay, on Walney Island.

The plans illustrate the vision for the project which consists of a new outdoor activity centre and an outdoor educational facility together with the creation of an outdoor community space.

It will aim to provide people of all ages with opportunities and access to the outdoors and to education.

The scheme will be funded by £3.1 million from the #BrilliantBarrow Town Deal, which secured £25 million from the Government’s Towns Fund earlier this year. Subject to final approval, the Earnse Bay project will also receive funding from Natural England.

The site of the proposed centre extends to 3.37 hectares and is bound by West Shore to the west, West Shore Park to the north and east and Cows Tarn Lane to the south. Currently, the site consists of grassland and scrub, with a dilapidated changing room building and some bituminous hardstanding that is no longer in use.

The application was sent to the Secretary of State due to an unresolved objection, however in deciding whether to call in this application, he is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority.