A Hub that was Billed as Key to the Economic Future of Penrith now appears destined to be little more than the pipe dreams of the former Eden Council leadership and the new Westmorland and Furness Council who inherited the project.
In 2022 the former Eden District council submitted a funding bid to government for £7.2 million to deliver a new business hub on land at Stoneybeck Beck.
The plans included a business innovation hub called the “Inspiring Eden Hub” that would provide a mix of office, studio, workshop and collaborative spaces supporting an estimated 740 businesses both directly within the new hub and in the wider district, creating an estimated 655 jobs and generating £26.2 million in additional economic value in the local area, the initial funding bid by the former Eden Council was unsuccessful.
Following the failed bid Government was lobbied by members of the former Eden Council leadership and by the former Penrith and Border MP Dr Neil Hudson who said at the time: “Making sure the Government’s keystone Levelling Up agenda works for rural communities such as ours has been one of my main priorities since being elected — that’s why I’ve been so pleased to work with councillors and local stakeholders on our powerful application.”
Councillor Mary Robinson, at the time the Eden Council portfolio holder for economy and enterprise, said: “Eden District Council’s cabinet was delighted to give the green light to a formal bid to be made to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, for a new state-of-the-art enterprise facility for Penrith, Eden and the wider regional economy.
“This is a key part of our ambitious Inspiring Eden plans to drive economic recovery, prosperity and levelling up through enterprise and entrepreneurship – with a particular focus on achieving rural excellence for our rural communities.
“We feel we have a real chance with this bid, as the project fits the Government’s criteria for levelling up – particularly across our rural communities – providing value for money and being ready to deliver.
“A key element of the Enterprise Hub is to encourage collaboration through a range of knowledge exchange opportunities between academia and business, to unlock the full potential of local enterprise and entrepreneurship.”
In November 2023 Westmorland and Furness Council received confirmation in the Chancellor’s autumn statement that the government was to provide the £7million to deliver the Inspiring Eden Hub at Penrith.
It was hoped that the hub could be open for business as soon as December 2024.
However the chances of the Inspiring Eden Hub ever becoming a reality are now in doubt following the change of Government and spending reviews a spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council has now told Penrith.Town news, that: "Circumstances regarding the proposed Inspiring Eden Enterprise Hub have changed since the bid was put into Government in the summer of 2022. Not least of these changes is around the ownership of the land earmarked as the site of the hub when the bid was submitted.”
"The former Government indicated in November 2023 that funding support would be allocated to the project but this has not been confirmed by the present Government.”
"Given these changes in circumstances since the original bid, council officers are in discussions with Government to look at alternative options.”
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