Client: UK Coal

The Blue Sky Forest project is a proposal for developing tourism and leisure attractions, and other activities, on the sites of opencast coal mines currently being mined by UK Coal.  These comprise two large areas of 600 hectares each, to the north of Morpeth, some 15 miles north of Newcastle, which are coming to the end of their natural life.  
The intention is to provide a range of commercial, sports and events attractions and facilities which will, inter alia, provide jobs for a sub-region with considerable economic problems, including narrow industrial structure and low employment rates, and plug gaps in the regional tourism infrastructure. The two sites provide an opportunity for imaginative development which could create a regeneration stimulus over a wide area in place of the alternative (default) option of restoration of the land to agriculture.
The consultants were engaged by UK Coal and the local regeneration partnership to prepare a more realistic development than the original plan. This includes a greater focus on the local residential market and the creation of a much more events based tourism and leisure base. Bone Wells Urbecon is primarily responsible for the tourism components of the study.

Permalink: http://www.bonewells.co.uk/blue-sky-f-tourism-review

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