Next phase of 800-home plan for ex-industrial site

Work is set to start on the £24.8m project with a planned 800 homes

Work is set to start on the next phase of a £24.8m project to build 800 homes and a nature conservation area on a former industrial site.

The Marina Village in Barrow, Cumbria, is due to be built in a dockside location off Salthouse Road, with six hectares of land already decontaminated during the first phase of the project.

The second phase would see the remaining 19 hectares of land prepared, thanks to a £24.8m government grant to redevelop brownfield sites.

Westmorland and Furness Council is leading the project and Councillor Virginia Taylor said it was one of the authority's biggest schemes.

The council is also running a consultation asking residents how they would like the development to look.

Ms Taylor said: "This flagship project will unlock this former industrial land and see it transformed into a thriving residential community in the centre of Barrow.

"It will be the best way possible for residents, for the town as a whole, and for future generations – including looking after the planet for them as much as we can."

A section of the site has already been decontaminated

The council said it wanted 808 homes to be built on the site some of which would be affordable housing, with a nature conservation area and other open spaces.

Ms Taylor said: "We are putting the mechanisms in place to ensure it is developed in the best way possible for residents and the town as a whole, and residents must play a key part in letting us know their views on the site's future."