A council leader has dismissed concerns over plans for a waterfront development being scaled back and has said the "world has moved on" since they were first mooted.

Westmorland and Furness Council's Marina Village scheme in Barrow will be made up of 800 new homes and a nature conservation area, once a developer can be found.

The project has been in the works for at least 20 years but previous designs included a water sports centre, shops and fewer homes.

Addressing concerns about the missing facilities, Liberal Democrat councillor Judith Derbyshire said: "The marina idea has moved on – it's still called the Marina Village but things have changed in that world."

She told Radio Cumbria the council was "looking at it now as mainly a housing area, but also as areas for people to enjoy the wildlife and enjoy walking and cycling".

"It is not purely housing, it's a mix of uses, but the emphasis is on residential," she said.

On the lack of proposed shops in the development, Derbyshire said their was a Morrisons nearby but "a lot of people are ordering their food by delivery anyway".

Changing plans

In 2020, architect firm Bowker Sadler described plans for the Marina Village as including "750 family homes and apartments, commercial offices, hotels, a 350-berth marina, marina facilities building, waterfront cafes and restaurants, athletics and water sports facilities, a maritime canal link and recreational parks".

The most recent supplementary planning document for the scheme states the development's main objectives include building "high-quality and aspirational homes" while making the most of its "waterfront setting".

The document does not mention water sport facilities but states the development will be "set within a sustainable network of vibrant and natural spaces, which support well-being, active travel and a great quality of life".

It also encourages developers to submit designs which would enable people to have a more active lifestyle by "encouraging walking, cycling, play and active leisure".

'Attracting' developers

The land is currently classed as a brownfield site and consists of old dockland infrastructure and former commercial buildings.

Its redevelopment was a long-held ambition of Barrow Borough Council, the former local authority, but progress stalled on the Marina Village site following the 2008 recession and public spending austerity measures.

Progress has since been made on the land and a second phase of work to prepare it for redevelopment began after the council received £24.8m from the government.

The 25-hectare (62-acre) plot is located next to Cavendish Dock but the council is still on the hunt for a developer to take on the project.

Derbyshire said the council was "looking at different ways of attracting developers".

Planning permission will go before the council next year and it is hoped the estate's first residents will move in during 2027.

Derbyshire said she believed the development, along with other housing projects in Greengate Street and Steamer Street, had the potential to boost the local economy.

The council has named the regeneration project Barrow Rising.

"That's what Barrow Rising is about – ensuring that everybody is lifted by all the things happening in Barrow at the moment," she said.