Regeneration of Frontierland
Frontierland has been a vacant eyesore on Morecambe’s seafront for over 20 years. For most of this time it was in private ownership and failed to find economically viable redevelopment proposals.
The city council acquired the site in 2021 to ensure its future development achieves the best outcome for Morecambe.
The three-hectare (7.5 acre) site is the largest development opportunity in central Morecambe for many years.
In October 2024 Place North West and Lancaster City Council hosted an event in the Winter Gardens theatre inviting industry figures to see what development opportunities Morecambe presents.
With the much anticipated Eden Project Morecambe securing more funding from the government, Lancaster City councillors spoke with excitement about the potential benefits it could bring to Morecambe.
To understand the potential for private sector investment and the types of development that could be considered, the council asked for Expressions of Interest with an emphasis on leisure-led proposals. Eight proposals were received in total, confirming there is interest from the private sector in working with the council, stakeholders and the community to bring the land back into beneficial use.
To develop plans for the site further, a project board has been set up to oversee the overall vision for the site and they agreed to consult the public and stakeholders to finalise a set of high-level objectives. The Expressions of Interest we received were used to help draft the objectives.
The objectives set out the high-level criteria and establish the context for how we are going to make our decisions and engage with developers on their proposals for how the former funfair site will help to transform the local economy.
A consultation ran for 7 weeks, from 15 November 2023 to 3 January 2024. More than 5,000 people viewed the online consultation information. The aim was to carry out consultation with the community and stakeholders, providing an opportunity for comments on the 10 objectives for Frontierland’s redevelopment. The consultation gathered feedback on the suitability of the objectives and whether any additional considerations should be included.
The consultation received a good response from the community and stakeholders and demonstrates that people have been informed about the issues and considerations for the redevelopment of the Frontierland site.
Consultation Results
The consultation survey results show that the public strongly favours a leisure-oriented development that prioritises aesthetics, economic advantages, and environmental responsibility. There are concerns about protecting existing businesses and ensuring good connectivity are prominent. While a return on investment is acknowledged, public focus seems to be on broader community benefits and long-term development goals.
The headline results of the consultation are in the table below.
| Objective | %agree | %disagree |
| Deliver a leisure-led redevelopment that matches the architectural quality and aspirations of the best developments along Morecambe’s seafront | 93 | 7 |
| Provide significant and wide-ranging economic benefits to Morecambe and the wider district | 93 | 7 |
| Secure a return on the council’s investment in acquiring the site to help ensure that wider service provision can be maintained | 83 | 17 |
| Provide new purpose-built visitor accommodation for a range of needs and types – e.g. family, luxury budget hotels and serviced- apartments etc | 51 | 49 |
| Provide quality leisure uses that will enhance Morecambe’s appeal | 88 | 12 |
| Create high-quality flexible public spaces that can host events and festivals | 81 | 19 |
| Breathe new life into 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 | 90 | 10 |
| Any development should meet or exceed the environmental performance standards in the council’s emerging Climate Emergency Local Plan | 90 | 10 |
| Ensure any effects to town centre businesses are kept to a minimum by only including a modest amount of retail space | 82 | 18 |
| To include a minimal residential component to the overall development only if it is necessary to financially support achieving our other objectives | 51 | 49 |
In addition to the quantitative questionnaire data, analysis of the comments' qualitative data can be summarised by general community sentiment:
- Excitement for the future of Morecambe.
- Strong desire for a well-rounded development that caters to a variety of needs and interests, while being environmentally friendly and accessible.
- Emphasis on the importance of the development being a success for both residents and visitors, year-round and not just during peak season.
View the results as an infographic .
Conclusion and next steps
Overall, the results of the qualitative analysis of the consultation show that there is a strong desire for the Frontierland redevelopment to be a catalyst for Morecambe's long-term revival, with a focus on sustainable and inclusive leisure-led development that benefits both residents and visitors.
To secure the redevelopment of the former Frontierland site the city council will be seeking a development partner through a formal procurement. The procurement process will utilise the results of the consultation in the drafting of the development brief and the procurement evaluation and award criteria.
The level of support for the objectives will help to define the weighting applied to evaluation and award criteria. The data from the comments received will add context to this. For example, although each of the 10 objectives is clear on what it aims to achieve, there is an interplay between the objectives that requires some compromises to be made. Both the quantitative and qualitative consultation results will be used to balance these competing requirements in the brief.
The Frontierland Project Board, which is overseeing the overall vision for the site, will review the draft brief and provide feedback on how it should develop.
Alongside this work, and ahead of starting the procurement process, the council is keen to promote and market the Frontierland redevelopment opportunity to generate interest. This work is in development and further details will be provided in due course.
Last updated: 15 October 2024