Lancaster City Council's £25m funding bid welcomed as 'game changer' for Morecambe Winter Gardens

Funding plans to help bring Morecambe's Winter Gardens 'back into full use' have been welcomed by the people working behind the scenes to get the Grade 2* listed building back up and running.
Morecambe's Winter Gardens.Morecambe's Winter Gardens.
Morecambe's Winter Gardens.

As we reported this morning, Lancaster City Council has submitted a bid for £25m from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund to help regenerate Morecambe town centre and set a clear and bold vision for its future.

The ambitious bid is about making central Morecambe a better place to live, visit and trade, and includes plans to get the Winter Gardens 'back into full use'.

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Prof Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust board, said she is delighted by the bid.

The funding would help towards the trust's aim of increasing the current capacity of the Winter Gardens from 699 to up to 1,500 - making it one of the biggest venues in the north west.

It would also help make the theatre an economically viable building for the future.

"If successful, this will go towards putting in an infrastructure which enables us to build for the future," Prof Toulmin said.

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"We are delighted that we are working in partnership with Lancaster City Council, with the help of Morecambe BID, for the benefit of the community.

"This will be a game changer for Morecambe and the Winter Gardens and I am delighted that the council are demonstrating that they are working in partnership with us."

The Winter Gardens was originally built to hold 2,500 people, but with modern safety regulations the capacity is vastly reduced.

This funding would help pay for vital improvements such as fire regulations for a larger capacity, and would build on previous successful funding bids which have paid for new heating and plaster work.

Prof Toulmin said it is hoped the theatre can re-open to the public for tours and refreshments from July 4.

However, live events are unlikely until 2021.