Derwent Forest
In August 2008, Allerdale Borough Council and
Cumbria County Council jointly acquired the former Royal Naval
Armaments Depot at Broughton Moor.
Covering an area of 425 ha (1,050 acres), the
former RNAD site at Broughton Moor is one of the largest brownfield
sites in the North West of England. It represents an
outstanding development opportunity, situated in a central position
at the heart of the West Cumbrian sub-region, in an area of
potential that stretches from Cockermouth at the edge of the Lake
District National Park to the two West Cumbrian coastal towns of
Workington and Maryport.
The two Authorities recognise the potential of
this site to bring significant economic, environmental and
community benefits to the area contributing to the overarching
vision of a community in which everyone shares the prosperity
currently only enjoyed in parts of the Borough. The
Authorities intend to dispose of the site and are actively seeking
developers. A formal marketing process commenced in January
2010 with a preferred development partner named at the end of the
year.
The Site
The site is located just outside the northern
edge of the Lake District National Park. It is situated just
off the A66, approximately 3 miles west of Cockermouth and 4 miles
east of Workington. Due to its rural and undeveloped nature,
there are currently no public transport links to or from the site,
with the nearest rail links at Workington and Maryport.
The site’s history over the last century has
been an eclectic one. Compulsorily assembled from
agricultural and coal mining origins, and effectively isolated by
the MOD from its immediate locality since 1939, active operations
at the site ceased in 1992. Since this time, the site has
lain redundant and unutilised. Cumbria County Council and
Allerdale Borough Council jointly acquired the freehold ownership
of the site in August 2008.
The site has been closed to public access for
over 50 years. Over that time it has developed a unique
environmental character with a wide variety of species of plants
and animals. This factor, in conjunction with the nature of
the site’s historic use as an armament storage facility, means that
there is a number of ground and decontamination works that need to
be undertaken before new development can take place.
Development Objectives
The Authorities have consulted widely with
local communities and others at regional level. They have
established the following broad aims which the development should
achieve:
- Economic Benefits through
raising the profile of West Cumbria at a regional and national
level; attracting inward investment to the area, creating a tourism
magnet between the Lake District and the Coast; creating jobs and
training opportunities;
- Environmental Benefits
through the removal of dereliction, maintenance and enhancement of
habitats, biodiversity and landscape character and developing
sustainable environmentally sensitive enterprises with green
infrastructure;
- Community Benefits by
ensuring that economic and environmental benefits to West Cumbria
impact positively on local communities.
The key aspirations are to encourage
sustainable long term development, sympathetic to the environment
and the characteristics of the site. This may entail a
significant proportion of development directed towards leisure,
tourism and educational related uses. Part of the site has
also been identified as suitable for new housing, as enabling
development, with the potential for circa 250-275 new homes.
The Authorities are seeking comprehensive
proposals for the site as a whole and would welcome consortium bids
on the basis that a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach will be
in a better position to achieve the overall objectives of the
project.
Derwent Forest presents the opportunity to
link the popularity of the Lake District National Park with
Cumbria's west coast, and to attract visitors and economic activity
making a real and sustained difference to West Cumbria's economy.
A number of high profile users of national and
international reputation have already expressed their interest in
being part of a new future for the site. Cumbria Vision and
NWDA are working alongside the two authorities to ensure that
potential funding avenues remain open.
More detailed information on the current
situation is available in the latest news
section.
Interested parties can
visit The
Chest to register an interest and get further information
on the development opportunity.