{"id":433714,"date":"2026-02-19T07:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T07:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/433714\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T07:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T07:18:14","slug":"grimshaws-scaled-down-eden-project-morecambe-approved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/433714\/","title":{"rendered":"Grimshaw\u2019s scaled-down Eden Project Morecambe approved"},"content":{"rendered":"

The AJ100 practice\u2019s proposal for a regeneration site overlooking Morecambe Bay secured the backing of Lancashire City Council at planning meeting on Monday (16 February), when the sister attraction to the Eden Project in Cornwall was approved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located on site formerly occupied by the Bubbles leisure complex, next to the listed Art Deco-style Midland Hotel, the Morecambe Eden Project comprises three ETFE domes providing 10,000m\u00b2 of floorspace.<\/p>\n

The central structure will be a large dome named the Realm of the Sun, housing lush tropical gardens and the Elder Tree, a \u2018showstopping\u2019 20m-high theatrical sculpture.<\/p>\n

A second lower building next to it, the Realm of the Moon, is designed to resemble a giant mussel shell and will contain a venue called the tidal theatre, themed on the tides of Morecambe Bay. It will also feature a \u2018hyper-real\u2019 rock pool.<\/p>\n

In between, a third structure called The Metronome will house the ticket office, toilets, restaurant and caf\u00e9. Two further realms are featured \u2013 a Four Seasons Garden and a Public Realm.<\/p>\n

The original Morecambe scheme<\/a>, approved in 2022, featured a 17,200m\u00b2 building with four shell-like domes of varying sizes connected by a \u2018dune-scape\u2019 structure and surrounded by gardens.<\/p>\n

However, Grimshaw and the Eden Project announced last summer<\/a> that they were scaling back the size of the domes to ensure the project would be built \u2018on budget and on time\u2019. Completion is still due in 2028.<\/p>\n

Speaking last year, Eden Project chief executive Andy Jasper said Grimshaw\u2019s earlier consented design<\/a> was a \u2018concept\u2019 and the latest iteration represented a more unified design, which \u2018still delivers the \u201cwow factor\u201d\u2019 of the original vision.<\/p>\n

He continued: \u2018One of the things I\u2019m most proud of is delivering that original vision, which is taking inspiration from the bayscape and from the people at Morecambe, who really wanted to have something that was of the place and of the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

Asked why the redesign had to take place, Jasper said: \u2018It has to be buildable; it has to be sustainable; it has to be able to be delivered on budget and on time. So the design developed into exactly what you can see today.\u2019<\/p>\n

Jasper said of the approval: \u2018Getting the green light to begin building is an incredibly exciting milestone and a momentous one to be celebrating in our 25th anniversary year. Relationships have always been at the heart of our charity\u2019s mission \u2013 our connections with nature, with people, with place and with the planet. The community gardens, the first phase of development, will embody this ethos from day one.\u2019<\/p>\n

Eden Project Morecambe director John Pye added: \u2018With planning permission now secured and formal agreements currently being finalised, the project moves forward with confidence. This marks a hugely significant moment for Eden Project Morecambe and for the entire community that has travelled this journey with us.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bringing the Chelsea [Flower Show] \u201cBring Me Sunshine\u201d garden \u2013 a space shaped with local people \u2013 home to the Bay is the first step in transforming this remarkable site into a world\u2011class destination celebrating nature, wellbeing and the true spirit of Morecambe.\u2019<\/p>\n

Eden Project Morecambe is being developed as a partnership between Cornwall\u2019s Eden Project, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University. It is due to open in 2028.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Grimshaw\u2019s Eden North project on Morecambe\u2019s Central Promenade (2022)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The AJ100 practice\u2019s proposal for a regeneration site overlooking Morecambe Bay secured the backing of Lancashire City Council…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,106645,158430,96,123415,4584,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-433714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-domes","13":"tag-eden-project-morecambe","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-grimshaw","16":"tag-lancashire","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}