Eden Project could be smaller than first planned

Revised plans show two domes flanked by two larger outdoor gardens and improved sea defences

New scaled-down plans for the ecotourism attraction Eden Project Morecambe have been submitted.

A planning application to Lancaster City Council for Eden Project Morecambe was submitted in August 2021, with permission granted in January 2022 showing four "shell-like" domes, gardens and two restaurants.

Eden Project revealed in the summer there would be two main areas of the site, but this is the first time the revised plans have been formally submitted.

They show two domes, instead of the original four - named the Realms of the Sun and Moon - flanked by two larger outdoor gardens.

Permission was granted in 2022 for four "shell-like" domes and gardens

They also show improved flood resilience with a wraparound landscaped sea defence wall.

The planning documents said the scheme has changed "in order to meet the needs of its target audience whilst responding to a more challenging economic landscape".

"The revised design is consistent with the 'colony of shells' architectural concept, established at the feasibility stage and as a defining character of the building inspired by the natural ecology of the Bay," they said.

Eden Project Morecambe will be built on the promenade where Bubbles leisure complex used to be sited, with the Grade II listed Winter Gardens and Midland Hotel its near neighbours.

It will be only the second eco-visitor attraction and botanical garden in the UK, following Eden Project Cornwall which opened in March 2001.

The project is due to cost £100m, with £50m of that allocated by the government and has faced delays but is still due to open in 2028.