Ground broken on next prep phase at Barrow’s Marina Village
The second phase of remediation has begun at the 64-acre site, with Redstart Northwest undertaking a £16.5m contract that will pave the way for 800 homes.
The site lies between Cavendish Dock and Salthouse Road. Once remediated and with infrastructure in place, the council will move onto the next stage of getting a developer or developers on board to take the scheme forward.
Westmorland & Furness Council’s cabinet voted in January to award the remediation contract to Redstart, which had been picked last year for initial works on the project.
When remediation is complete, the site will be ready to provide 800 new homes, a nature conservation area and new public open spaces, as part of Barrow’s wider regeneration agenda.
The development is backed by the Team Barrow partnership, where the council is working with the government and BAE Systems.
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Cllr Judith Derbyshire, cabinet member for housing and community safety, said: “Barrow is a fantastic place already but it is wonderful to see sites like this being made available. With all the positivity around Barrow and jobs being created at BAE Systems and other businesses, there is a pressing need for more housing.
“As a council we are committed to ensuring these are good houses to be able to allow people to come and live, work and enjoy being here.
“There have been aspirations more many, many years to create housing on this fantastic waterfront site and this investment, funded by Homes England, means we can soon be in a position to present an opportunity to a developer or developers to come in and get on with the job of building a minimum of 808 homes – helping to create safe and fulfilling futures for hundreds of people of all ages in this great place.”
Steve England, managing director of Redstart Northwest, said: “After nine months designing the scheme, including planning applications and remediation strategies and further investigations to understand what the constraints are, it is great to have made a start on site, start to see the vision be realised and be involved in leaving a legacy for the people of Barrow.
“Thanks to Westmorland and Furness Council for giving us the opportunity and putting the trust in us to deliver it.”
Homes England has pledged £24.8 million to fund delivery of phase two of the site. Funding through Brilliant Barrow – regeneration funding from the government’s Towns Fund – has also supported the scheme.
Duncan Inglis, Homes England regional director for the North, said: “As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, our aim is to support public and private sector partners to unlock strategic housing sites where brownfield, infrastructure or land projects face delivery challenges.
“The Marina Village site is a prime example of this, and the agency has worked closely with Westmorland and Furness council to support the regeneration of Barrow Waterfront, a former brownfield site. The development will provide over 800 new homes for the people of Barrow, supporting our mission to build much needed new communities that people can be proud to call home. This site is key to underpinning the ambitious economic growth ambitions for the town.”
The last three years have seen progress made in assembling the land and funding package required.
Phase one of the development – the remediation of 15 acres funded by £5.5m secured from the Getting Building Fund – was completed in November 2023.
The construction phase of phase two includes remediation, the installation of associated enabling infrastructure, including a realigned Cavendish Dock Road, to assist future housing suppliers to develop the site, and the diversion or protection of key utilities.
The project also aims to relocate the council’s Salthouse Road waste depot, with a feasibility and outline design study under way relating to a temporary location.
