Council reveals leisure plan for eyesore Morecambe Frontierland site

Leisure uses could include hotels, aparthotel, recreation facilities, swimming pools and music halls.

Visitor accommodation, residential and retail use could also be considered, along with creating public spaces for outdoor leisure, from eating and drinking to holding festivals and events.

The council also says it wants to improve the look of the Frontierland frontage as well as enhancing links to the town centre, the railway station and the West End.

Frontierland has been a vacant eyesore on Morecambe’s seafront since closing in the late 1990s.

The council is now asking for the public’s feedback on 10 ways of regenerating the site which they have put forward.

*Deliver a leisure led redevelopment to sit alongside the best developments along Morecambe's seafront.

*The site should provide significant and wide-ranging economic benefits to Morecambe and the wider district. This will support the local economy by strengthening Morecambe’s tourism and leisure offer, attracting new visitors and further investment in the town.

*Provide a plan or proposal for the site which makes money that can support a financial return on the council’s investment of the site. All councils are under significant economic pressure and a modest return on investment may have implications for the council’s budget.

*Provide new purpose-built visitor accommodation such as family hotels, luxury budget hotels and serviced- apartments etc. The opening of Eden will see a significant increase in visitor numbers and the more of these that stay overnight the greater the economic benefits are to the town.

*Provide leisure facilities that will enhance Morecambe’s appeal. Leisure uses could include hotels, aparthotel, recreation facilities, swimming pools, and music halls.

*Create high-quality flexible public spaces that can host events and festivals. The redevelopment of Frontierland should be an active part of the town and not be closed off or separated. The city council want to create public spaces for outdoor leisure, from eating and drinking, to holding festivals and events.

*Improve the look of the frontage on Marine Road West to improve footfall and improve connections through the site to the West End, the town centre, Morrisons, and the railway station.

*Have a development that is good for the environment. The city council need well-designed buildings and public spaces that are energy and resource-efficient in their construction and operation for the future.

*Only including a modest amount of retail space. Morecambe’s traditional town centre on Euston Road, Victoria Street, Queen Street and Pedder Street does not need more shops or a retail centre on Frontierland that will provide direct competition.

*Include some residential development which could add value to the overall proposal.

Councillor Phillip Black, leader of Lancaster City Council, said: “I’d urge everyone to get involved, tell us what they think about the objectives we’ve drafted, and help us to shape this important project.”

At three-hectares (7.5 acre) the Frontierland site is the largest development opportunity in central Morecambe for many years. To understand the potential for private sector investment and the types of development that could be considered, the council recently asked for Expressions of Interest with an emphasis on leisure-led proposals.

Eight proposals were received in total and these have been used as a starting point to help draft the objectives.

A drop-in consultation event is taking place between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Thursday November 23 at the Festival Market to talk more about the objectives and gather people’s views.You can also get involved by visiting https://keepconnected.lancaster.gov.uk/frontierland.

The consultation closes on Wednesday January 3 2024.