New visitor centre planned for west Cumbria
The plans are for a site on land at Hodbarrow Nature Reserve and they are currently being considered by council planning officers.
They include a cafe and shop, a group room, toilet facilities and a car park, as well as the consolidation, repair and installation of an interpretive sculpture to Towsey Hole Windwill.
In addition, organisers are hoping to refurbish an existing tern hide, add new bird hides and viewing screens, pathways, gateway features and street furniture.
According to a planning report, in September 2019 Millom became one of 101 places invited to work with the Government to propose a Town Deal with up to £25 million in funds available from the wider £3.6 billion Towns Fund.
It states: 'In November 2022, Cumberland Council and Millom Town Deal Boards were notified by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC) that following the submission of Full Business Cases they had been successful in securing £20.6 million for Millom.
'With match funding, this has brought forward investment of over £28.7 million into Millom. Work is now underway to deliver four exciting projects, one of which is The Iron Line.'
According to the report Hodbarrow is 'a fantastic place to visit but struggles with a number of practical issues which prevent the reserve from meeting its full potential.'
The practical issues include: vandalism; management; no parking; the path network; limited signage; limited furniture; little shelter; and ecological designations.
The report states: 'RSPB Hodbarrow is located in close proximity to Millom and Haverigg and accessible on foot from the north via Mainsgate Road and from the east and west using a selection of public rights of way, including the recently established England Coast Path.
'The Iron Line route is formally designated as a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) meaning that the route can be accessed by cars, cyclists, horses and pedestrians.
'Once on the reserve, a network of paths, of varying width and quality enable visitors to explore Hodbarrow. The limitation of the existing path network is that most are poorly surfaced and littered with potholes.
'Added to this is an inconsistency of type, meaning there's a lack of hierarchy, resulting in a navigational challenge. The masterplan proposes to improve the path network so that routes are better defined, solid and level underfoot so that visitors can traverse the site more easily.'
According to the report this will comprise: formalising existing desire lines; using boardwalks at certain locations to minimise impact on ecology; and where appropriate, the introduction of fencing to keep visitors on track and away from the most sensitive habitats; and highlighting of important path nodes.
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