The long-standing vision to transform the Derwent Forest site in west Cumbria into a prestigious leisure and commercial development has taken a huge stride forward.

Allerdale Borough Council and Cumbria County Council officially purchased the former armaments depot from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 22 August.

Partners gathered at the site on that date to mark the milestone in the history of this ambitious project. Other partners in Derwent Forest are the Northwest Regional Development Agency, economic development agency Cumbria Vision and West Lakes Renaissance, the urban regeneration company for Furness and West Cumbria.

The five organisations have worked tirelessly with the MoD over recent years to bring about the purchase of the 1,050-acre site - one of the largest brownfield sites in the United Kingdom. The site will now be marketed and proposals invited for a range of leisure and commercial developments.

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Cllr Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member, responsible for development and regeneration, said: "Derwent Forest represents a massive opportunity to bring a former industrial site back into use and to create a thriving place boasting high quality leisure and business facilities in a unique and beautiful setting.

"Derwent Forest has huge potential to increase our economic prosperity and raise the profile of Cumbria to national developers."

Simon Sjenitzer, Strategy Director at Cumbria Vision, also said: "The transfer of the land is fantastic news for all of the partners involved and an exciting step forward in utilising Derwent Forest's massive economic potential for west Cumbria. We are optimistic that there will be widespread interest among developers in this unique and prestigious project."

Partners behind the project have moved strongly to reassure the local community that the site will be redeveloped sensitively and that coal extraction is not part of the development framework or vision for Derwent forest.

Derwent Forest is a key regeneration project identified in the Cumbria Economic Plan, published by Cumbria Vision last year. It sits alongside other large regeneration projects that are deemed to have the broadest economic benefit in terms of investment, employment and education opportunities.

(JM/NS)