02.03.04
Objective One and South West RDA announce £20 million investment in Eden

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and the South West Regional Development Agency have today announced a joint investment of almost £20 million in Cornwall's Eden Project.

The investment is made up of £12.9 million from Objective One and £6.78 million from the South West RDA, and will enhance Eden's position as one of the UK's top paid-for visitor attractions.

The investment matches the £10 million already approved from the Millennium Commission, £2.89 million from the South West RDA towards Eden's new Education Resource Building and £360,000 from waste disposal company Viridor.

This adds up to a total investment of £33 million in Eden's 'Big Build 2', which is expected to help Eden generate an estimated £1.5 billion for Cornwall's economy over the next 10 years.

The latest investment from Objective One and the RDA will be used to build a new Gateway building, expand the existing visitor centre, create a new vertical transport system down into the Eden 'pit', restructure the car parks to allow easier access, enhance staff facilities and create a new waste recycling compound to help Eden achieve its ambition of becoming waste neutral.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership, and South West RDA vice-chairman Nick Buckland, announced the investment at Eden today.

Miss Kelemen said: "Eden has had a profound effect on Cornwall's economy, contributing some £450 million since opening in March 2001. This latest investment from Objective One will further enhance the visitor experience and maintain Eden's prominence as a national attraction. Eden has raised the game in presenting a new and innovative way of developing a visitor attraction and is a key part of our long-term investment strategy in the economic development of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."

Mr Buckland said: "The RDA's investment is part of our remit to invest in the regional economy and promote business growth and skills and learning. The RDA has been working with Eden since its inception on strengthening the local supply chain to ensure that local businesses benefit, and in developing training opportunities to help local people develop new skills. Our investment will help ensure that Eden continues to a have hugely positive impact on the region's economy for years to come."

Eden's Development Director, Gaynor Coley said: "This crucial investment will enable us to invest in the Eden Project to make it an ever better visitor destination, by enriching and enhancing the experience for everyone coming to Eden.

People in Cornwall know that when Eden opened in 2001 it was almost swamped by its own success and we have been able to invest any surplus from entrance tickets into improving Eden as a visitor destination, training staff and easing the problem of queues. This additional investment means that we are able to take the next steps in the capital investment by upgrading the buildings, improving the routes into the biomes and providing better access for those who are less mobile. We're also planning more covered areas so that there will be more to do on those wetter Cornish days."

The additional developments at Eden will be complete by the end of next year, with the new Education Resource Building due to open in Spring 2005.

Editor's notes:

The South West Regional Development Agency was established in 1999. Our most important role is to ensure the long term economic success of the region, by promoting the right skills among its workforce, the most innovative businesses, and a high quality environment.

Jason Clark
Communications Adviser
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Tel: 01872 241379
Fax: 01872 241388
objectiveone@cornwall.gov.uk

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