Published NW Evening Mail, 5 March 2010

THE pace of Barrow’s regeneration has noticeably picked up once again over the past few month, with the government, North West Development Agency and the European Union showing their commitment to our area in the shape of significant amounts of funding for the town.

After delivering the council’s regeneration programme for over 15 years now, the borough council’s team of officers, led by Tom Campbell (chief executive)and Phil Huck (director of regeneration), have gained a reputation for successfully completing multi-million pound projects.

The completion of Channelside Business Park, which was one of the first ambitious plans to emerge in the early 1980s, was a milestone for the town’s regeneration partners Barrow Borough Council, Cumbria County Council and Barrow Regeneration (formerly West Lakes Renaissance).

A report on the completed Heart of Barrow – Building the Future regeneration programme shows that over 500 new jobs were created through projects carried out under that NWDA funding scheme – many of those in new purpose-built units on Channelside and at Waterside House.

Further jobs were created through business grants and loans administered by Furness Enterprise as part of the same scheme. A new road will link the A590 to business opportunities on Barrow Island, particularly as the Ramsden Business Park at the Waterfront area starts to develop.

Linked to these construction projects is activity to promote healthy living, educational aspirations and quality lifestyle through the visual landscape and development of our leisure areas. It would suggest that it’s worth staying around Barrow to watch the improvements unfold.

• Waterfront News