DOWNTOWN QUARTERLY
WORDS BY DAVID MORRIS MP MORECAMBE & LUNESDALE
Securing a Parliamentary Adjournment Debate is one of the highlights of being an MP. For those not encumbered by a detailed knowledge of how Westminster works, it is worth explaining that it gives one a full 30 minutes to make a speech on whatever your topic and the relevant Government Minister must respond. And so, on Wednesday 10th February there was the chance to explain why the Government should invest in helping create an Eden of the North.
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This project is all about celebrating environmental protection, illustrating the obvious advantages of saving our planet, creating a better understanding of the green agenda. Building a northern version of the Eden Project, that has thrived in Cornwall since 2000, will not only benefit Morecambe, where it is to be located, but it will stimulate the economies of towns and cities all around the region. Eden Project North is one of those initiatives which feeds directly into the Government’s post-pandemic
levelling up agenda. It is ready to start, it will create sustainable jobs, it helps lift the northern economy, and it also educates communities about the importance of marine environmentalism. If there was a project that could be described as a ‘win-win’ then this is it. And the response to the Adjournment Debate from the Local Government Minister, Luke Hall MP, could not have been more positive.