Two Day Event To Showcase £22.9m Barrow Town Centre Regeneration Plans
Barrow residents will have the opportunity to help shape a major £22.9m transformation of the town centre through a public event.
The Heart of Barrow programme will be showcased during a free two day event giving local people the chance to examine proposals and discuss the future of the town centre. The programme is being developed by Team Barrow and Westmorland and Furness Council, with plans covering improvements to public spaces, cultural facilities, markets and entertainment. People attending the event will also be able to speak directly with architects and senior representatives involved in developing the proposals.
The first day of the event will take place at Barrow Town Hall on Friday October 2, running from 11am until 7pm. The second day will move to The Bridge on Portland Walk on Saturday October 3, where the event will run from 10am until 3pm. Organisers are encouraging residents, traders and other members of the community to attend and find out more about the proposals before the next stages of the regeneration programme progress.
A series of panel discussions and question and answer sessions will form part of the programme across both days. Sessions are scheduled for 1pm and 6pm on the Friday, followed by further sessions at 11.30am and 2pm on the Saturday. These discussions are intended to give people an opportunity to hear more about the proposals, raise questions and discuss issues surrounding the future development of the town centre.
Among the proposals being presented is a new market village intended to provide a new destination within the town centre. Plans also include a large temporary event space that could provide opportunities for arts, culture and entertainment while longer term facilities are developed. The temporary venue is expected to offer a programme of activity influenced by large scale cultural events such as those associated with the Edinburgh Fringe.
The programme also includes improvements around Barrow Town Hall, with public spaces set to receive further attention as part of the wider regeneration plans. Additional proposals include enhancements to the town hall itself, along with lighting and arts activity across the town centre. Vacant properties and sites cleared through demolition are expected to play a role in providing temporary uses while the wider transformation is developed.
Local people will be able to complete a questionnaire during the event, allowing them to provide comments on the proposals and raise issues they believe should be considered. They will also have the opportunity to suggest a name for the proposed market village. The public engagement process is intended to help refine the emerging plans and provide feedback as work continues towards a detailed masterplan for the town centre.
The £22.9m investment was agreed last month through the Barrow Transformation Fund as the first phase of the Heart of Barrow programme. Team Barrow is a partnership involving the Government, Westmorland and Furness Council and BAE Systems. More than half of the funding allocated to the first phase is planned to support arts, culture and entertainment as part of the wider ambition to create a more active town centre.
The overall regeneration programme is expected to take several years to deliver, with the full scheme potentially extending across a decade. An interim programme is due to begin from next year, providing activity and improvements while the longer term proposals move through planning and development stages. The eventual ambition includes a new theatre, homes, retail units and car parking alongside improvements to existing public areas.
The future of the Forum and Market Hall is also connected to the longer term plans for the town centre. Demolition of the buildings is expected to take place only after a masterplan has been shared with local people for feedback. The Forum theatre has remained closed since July 2024, while the sudden closure of the facility has continued to be a significant issue for people involved in Barrow's cultural life.
Concerns have also been raised locally about the provision of a replacement theatre as part of the town centre transformation. Local representatives and community organisations have called for greater clarity over the future cultural offer, while Team Barrow has stated that there is an ambition for a new theatre but that different options are still being explored. The regeneration programme is expected to consider the role of arts and culture as part of the town centre's future identity.
The existing market has also undergone major changes during the development of the wider plans. Traders were informed that the indoor market had to close immediately on health and safety grounds and were subsequently moved into temporary containers. The proposed market village is intended to form part of the future town centre offer, with the forthcoming public event providing an opportunity for residents and traders to comment on how that element of the scheme could develop.
Enabling work for the regeneration programme is expected to begin towards the end of this year, subject to the necessary preparations and approvals. If planning permission is secured, demolition could begin by early 2028, followed by construction later that year or in early 2029. The current programme anticipates completion of the full project by 2035, although individual elements are expected to be delivered at different stages throughout the process.
The £22.9m investment is also intended to support the appointment of a development partner and progress the acquisition and demolition of properties required for the wider regeneration programme. Additional phase one funding includes £10.91m from the Local Regeneration Fund and £1.56m from Westmorland and Furness Council. The funding package is designed to support the early stages of the project while further investment and development arrangements are established.
Work is already underway to develop a masterplan that will refine the existing high level proposals and establish a clearer long term vision for Barrow town centre. The delivery process is expected to involve continued engagement with local communities, businesses and other organisations as individual projects are developed. A future development partner with specialist town centre regeneration experience is also expected to contribute to the delivery of the wider programme.
The upcoming two day event therefore represents an important opportunity for people to see how the proposals are developing before decisions are taken on later stages of the project. Residents will be able to discuss the plans directly with those involved, ask questions about the proposed facilities and provide feedback on the emerging vision. The consultation will also allow local views to be considered as the masterplan and individual regeneration projects continue to take shape.
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