Derwent Forest regeneration moves on

Derwent Forest represents a huge opportunity to remediate one of the largest areas of brownfield land in the country

Ian Haythornthwaite

Executive Director of Resources

NWDA

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has announced that a former Ministry of Defence armaments depot in Derwent Forest has been purchased by Allerdale borough council and Cumbria county council.

Alongside Cumbria Vision and West Lakes Renaissance, the organisations aim to use the 1,050-acre brownfield site to create range of leisure and commercial developments, attract inward investment and regenerate the local area.

Ian Haythornthwaite, Executive Director of Resources at the NWDA, commented: "Derwent Forest represents a huge opportunity to remediate one of the largest areas of brownfield land in the country and transform it into a high quality leisure and commercial complex with an outstanding natural setting.

Simon Sjenitzer, strategy director at Cumbria Vision, predicted there will be "widespread interest" in the project from developers, while it will aim to take an "innovative approach" which focuses on sustainability.

Earlier this month, the NWDA revealed that a £11.5 million initiative to regenerate Burscough town centre has been nominated for the North West Royal Town Planning Institute Planning Achievement Award 2008, which looks at innovative proposals for redevelopment.