Last updated 20:05, Thursday, 17 July 2008

A £2 BILLION regeneration scheme that will transform West Cumbria into Britain’s Energy Coast will be launched on Wednesday.

John Hutton, Secretary of State for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, will launch the Energy Coast Masterplan at the Sellafield Visitors’ Centre.

The masterplan is a package of projects that is expected to create 16,000 jobs and boost the county’s economy by £800 million.

The biggest projects in the plan are the transformation of the Port of Workington and Harrington marina, which, it is hoped, will create significant tourist attractions.

It also includes the expansion of the University of Cumbria into the area and a new £100 million hospital to replace the West Cumberland at Whitehaven.

About £30 million will be spent to improve the A66 in West Cumbria as part of a £300m investment into long-term road improvements, which will include the A595.

It has been suggested in the past that stretches of the A66 would be dualled but regeneration bosses say at the moment no firm proposals are in place.

Improvements to railway stations and train carriages for the West Cumbrian coastal service, from Carlisle to Barrow, are also planned.

A £50m investment in cultural, sports and leisure facilities is also part of the plan, which includes the clean-up and transformation of the former Broughton Moor arms depot.

The masterplan aims to build on the area’s global expertise in nuclear power anddecommissioning while diversifying into other energy technologies such as tidal and off-shore wind.

It is thought the projects will attract a new generation of nuclear power reactors to the Sellafield site.

Mr Hutton said: “I am delighted to have been invited to launch the masterplan - an ambitious plan to secure long term prosperity of this area by building on the region's world-renowned nuclear know-how.

The masterplan will bring together the skills and ambition of West Cumbria, and deliver a significant boost to investment and jobs.”

Workington MP Tony Cunningham said it was the most mportant document produced for West Cumbria.

He said: “Every single project development has an importance for Allerdale, it will affect renewables, schools, hospitals and the thousands of workers in the nuclear industry.”

“When it comes to leisure and sporting facilities there are outdoor weather tracks in Copeland and around the county but I would like to see an indoor track in Allerdale as there are none in West Cumbria at the moment.

“We have a central delivery team based here in West Cumbria and smaller ones in Carlisle and Barrow who are actively working on delivering the developments.

“But we also have someone based in London to liaise with Whitehall on all the West Cumbrian developments to make it happen.”

A spokeswoman for urban regeneration company West Lakes Renaissance said: “The masterplan is a series of long-term projects which will secure West Cumbria as Britain’s Energy Coast.

“As well as developing new services and facilities, the money will go towards improving what we already have in the area .

“A focus on developing the energy status of the area will be the first stage, that will result in an improved economy which in turn will enable a whole package of changes for the area.”