Grimshaw's Eden Project North in Lancashire Receives Planning Approval

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After unveiling the Eden Project North back in 2018, Grimshaw Architects has finally received planning permission from Lancaster City Council to begin constructing its Morecambe attraction. The new addition to the Eden Project series will focus on reimaging health and wellbeing by taking inspiration from the landscape of Morecambe Bay, a natural estuary south of the Lake District. Similar to the rest of the attractions, a series of shell-like structures will host the main exhibition and recreational spaces.

The shell-like units will be known as the Rhythm Machine, the Bay Glade, the Bay Hall, and the Natural Observatory. The lower part of the shells features extensions that seamlessly integrate into the surrounding landscape and accommodate different uses, resembling a dune-scape that reflects the natural forms of the bay. A series of gardens will be placed around the structures, designed to reflect the flora and geology of the site's unique coastal environment. These gardens incorporate a new outdoor arena, and the Tide Garden whose beds spiral down towards a tidal pool at the garden’s center. 

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Similar to the projects in Cornwall and Qingdao, the concept for Eden Project North is also driven by a biophilic design approach. The project focusses on reducing the carbon footprint, minimizing energy demands, and contributing positively to the environment. The site will also serve as an educational facility that teaches visitors about embodied and operational carbon through its research and education programme.

The project is designed to help the social, economic, and environmental regeneration of the area. Beyond its design, the project will promote a positive economic and social impact, by providing an additional 1,500 jobs and injecting £200m per year into the North West economy. The project is developed with support from Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, and Lancaster University. If funding is secured as scheduled, it is due to open in 2024.

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Inspired by the unique location and outstanding natural beauty of Morecambe Bay, Eden Project North will become a landmark destination of national and international significance. We are delighted that the scheme has now secured planning approval and look forward to bringing to life, for Morecambe, a place that will bring wonder, wellbeing, and connection to the natural world. -- Jolyon Brewis, Partner at Grimshaw

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In December of last year, Grimshaw's first permanent Eden Project outside the United Kingdom reached a construction milestone with the completion of the project’s centerpiece Storm Forest Biome. Built in Jiaozhou Bay, on an environmentally damaged land on the confluence of two rivers that was once used for salt production and prawn breeding, the single-space biome structure encloses a planted space of over 27,000 square meters and uses water as the "life blood of nature, culture, and civilization". Eden Project Qingdao was the first project announced as part of the project’s plans to expand on every continent.