Sellafield Ltd helps unlock £9.8 million investment for Egremont
A major project to improve Egremont has received extra funding.
Architectural visualisation of the plans for the former Red Lion site in Egremont
The money will help create new community spaces, support local businesses and bring more visitors to the town.
Egremont Town Team and Cumberland Council had already secured £3 million from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Fund.
Now, Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the Decommissioning and Nuclear Waste Partnership (DNWP) and Copeland Community Fund have provided more support. This brings the total investment to £9.8 million.
The funding will help improve several parts of the town. Plans include redeveloping the former Red Lion site, improving Florence Arts Centre and making it easier for people to move around and explore Egremont.
The investment is one of the largest community improvement projects seen in West Cumbria in recent years. It also shows how Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) strategy can bring organisations together to create lasting benefits.
Plans for the former Red Lion site include:
- more than 1,600 square metres of new public space
- a new wellbeing centre for the community
- four workshop units for local businesses
- two new retail units
Improvements at Florence Arts Centre include:
- a new performance space and café
- a heritage area and artists’ studios
- more than 2,800 square metres of improved outdoor space
- repairs to historic mine buildings
The project will also improve signs, footpaths and routes around the town. This will make it easier for people to visit local attractions and enjoy everything Egremont has to offer.
Tracey West, Head of Social Impact at Sellafield Ltd, said:
This is a great example of what can happen when organisations work together.
Through our SiX strategy, we want to create benefits that last for years to come. This investment will bring new opportunities to Egremont, support local businesses, celebrate local heritage and create places where people can come together.
By working with our partners, we have helped secure more funding and make an even bigger difference for local communities.
Architectural visualisation of plans for the Florence Arts Centre in Egremont
Jamie Reed, the NDA’s Director of Socio-Economics, said:
Like with the Industrial Solutions Hub, the Edge, Bus Station, Levels and more, this is another demonstration of our social impact programme in action.
The key to success is partnership working between all parties determined to each play their part to build a better future; not just local and national government, but Sellafield and the private sector as part of the Sellafield supply chain.
We hope to continue to build on this approach with partners in the future.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said:
This is tremendous news - I am so pleased to see these developments gather pace. It’s a time of real change and renewal for Egremont and the Town Team should be proud of how hard they have worked to bring it about.
These investments will improve footfall, increase visitor numbers, and offer new business opportunities. I am delighted that, collectively, we have grasped this opportunity to give Egremont the vibrant and resilient economy, and first-class cultural offer, that it deserves. We are demonstrating that by inviting partners to bolster investment, we can together significantly increase the impact on communities and trigger outcomes that make a real difference.
Mike Lacey, Nuclear Decommissioning Solutions (NDS) Framework Director on DNWP said:
Decommissioning is what brings us here, but it’s not all we do. We are investing in the towns where we live and work. This creates opportunities that deliver lasting social, economic and community benefits.
As the closest town to Sellafield, Egremont is an important part and our focus for the next five years. This starts with our £1 million investment into this programme. Our social impact plan is ambitious. This investment demonstrates how we are turning those commitments into action.
Construction work at the former Red Lion site and Florence Arts Centre is expected to begin in early 2027. The work should take around 12 to 18 months to complete.