Those who live and work in Workington are being encouraged to have their say on proposals for potential multi-million pound redevelopment of the town. 

Last year the Government invited Workington to submit a bid to the Towns Fund, a £3.6bn pot which aims to level-up funding and opportunities for communities across the country and deliver long-term growth. If successful, the bid could lead to a £25m investment in Workington, covering areas such as urban regeneration, planning and land use, skills and enterprise infrastructure and connectivity. 

Local people have already submitted many ideas for the Workington Town Deal board to consider through the MyTown website, with those ideas used to shape the board’s thinking in what projects to move forward.  

Allerdale Borough Council, the lead authority for the bid, and the board, a mix of public, private and voluntary sector partners, are now keen to hear from those who live and work in Workington again to hear their views on the current proposals. 

The proposals being considered for Workington are: 

• Improving the town centre’s public spaces and connectivity 
• Creating a ‘sports village’, including a shared community stadium and associated sports facilities for Workington Town and Reds as well as for public use 
• Creating an innovation centre and co-working space to increase skills and provide space for early-stage businesses 
• Developing a logistics and clean energy hub at the Port of Workington 
• Developing a digital skills programme 
• Redeveloping the former opera house site in Workington town centre and creating space for 'street food’ businesses in the short-term. 

Residents are being invited to give their views as part of a public consultation which launches today (September 25) and runs until October 9. 

Cllr Mike Johnson, Deputy Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said:

“I’d like to thank all those who submitted their ideas through the MyTown website and can say they have proved to be extremely useful in helping the board decide which schemes to explore further. We believe the projects we’re sharing with you now have the potential to really improve the town and create an impact that will be felt in Workington and west Cumbria for generations to come.” 

John Coughlan, TSP Engineering’s Chief Executive Officer is chair of the Workington Town Deal board. He said:

“Hearing what local people have to say about these plans is extremely important to us so I’d urge everyone with an interest in Workington, or west Cumbria more widely, to take part in this consultation if they can.” 

Further detail about the plans and the feedback form is available at https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/workington/workington-town-deal-public-consultation/. 

It is expected a bid will be submitted to the Government in October.