Barrow Island residents` suggestions sees changes to multimillion pound development

You said…   Avoid heavy vehicles on our community’s roads during the building of the Barrow Island Waterfront Development Masterplan

We did…   Made local peoples’ views heard by developers who agreed that materials should be moved by sea

Barrow Island residents have played a central part in a major development in their area, requesting that materials and waste for the Barrow Island Waterfront Development Masterplan be transported by sea rather than by road.

The project is a £25 million redevelopment of three new business parks on a stretch of waterfront in Barrow-in-Furness, close to a residential area.

Cumbria County Council’s Community Unit in Barrow has been leading on consulting with residents about the scheme, which is run by Barrow Regeneration (formerly West Lakes Renaissance), Capita and their partners, since the project began in 2006.

The team has worked with local residents and community leaders, the developers and their contractors to make sure that local people have been given the opportunity to make their views heard on the project.

At a public meeting organised by the county council, Barrow Island residents, who were keen that traffic to and from the site had a minimum impact on the community, suggested that noise, dirt and potential wear and tear to roads would be reduced and roads made safer by moving materials to and from the site by sea in to Barrow Dock.

Developers Barrow Regeneration agreed, at an additional cost to them of £750,000. 

Residents’ requests have also ensured that site traffic be minimised outside of school hours and at weekends; that vehicle wheels must be washed before leaving the site; and that a speed limit of 20mph be enforced on key residential roads.

Sometime into the project, when the development of a promised temporary site access road to divert remaining site traffic from residential areas faced a delay of several years, residents took a petition to their county and district councillors. As a result, planning permission for a second phase of work has been granted on the condition that this can only go ahead when the new access road is in use.

Whilst much of the development has been completed, a second phase of work is now on hold as a result of the recession.  This has meant that a number of community improvements remain to be done, such as the remodelling of one of the roads in the community to become a cul-de-sac.  The Community Unit has ensured that these works will be a priority for developers when the second phase recommences.  

Alison Meadows, Neighbourhood Development Officer at the Barrow Community Unit says: “We’ve worked with the community and the developers to create a lot more mutual understanding which has benefitted both parties.

“When we began working on the project, residents were sceptical about their ability to influence big decisions in their area, because of the poor quality of previous consultations.  However, we convinced residents that we would make sure that this time their views would be heard and showed them how important it is for residents to get involved in the future of their community.  The results have been really positive and we hope this will continue to be when phase two of the work continues.”

Anne Carruthers is a Barrow Island resident and has been involved in the development since the outset, working with the Community Unit to stay up to date with the project and give her views and raise concerns where necessary.  She says: “Looking back, becoming involved with the Community Unit was one of the best decisions that the residents of Barrow Island have ever agreed upon.  All members of the team who regularly attended the Old Barrow Neighbourhood Forums have become welcomed and accepted faces in the community. They have indeed earned our trust and were a joy to work with”.

For more information contact the Barrow Community Unit.