BEC to host Pioneer Park public engagement event

BEC is inviting people from across West Cumbria to help shape the future of Pioneer Park at a major public engagement event in Whitehaven this month.

Taking place on Tuesday 14 July between 3 pm and 7 pm at The Peddler, the drop-in event will give residents, businesses and community organisations the opportunity to meet the Pioneer Park project team, learn more about the emerging plans and share their views on what the development should deliver for the area.

Pioneer Park is a transformative clean energy and technology development set on land adjacent to Sellafield at Moorside, with the ambition of attracting more than £12 billion in private investment to West Cumbria.

We are leading the initial stages of the project alongside partners including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, Cumberland Council and local MPs, with support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The event forms part of the early masterplanning process currently underway. It is an important opportunity for local people to understand more about the scale of Pioneer Park, the industries it could attract and the potential long-term benefits for West Cumbria.

Visitors will be able to explore the emerging vision for the site and share feedback on areas including future jobs and skills, apprenticeships and training, opportunities for local businesses and supply chains, transport and infrastructure, clean energy and wider community benefits.

Josh MacAlister MP said: “Pioneer Park is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure West Cumbria’s place at the forefront of Britain’s clean energy future.

“Our area has powered the country for generations, and this project can help make sure that the next generation of skilled jobs, investment and innovation are built here too. But for Pioneer Park to succeed, it has to be shaped with local people, not done to them.

“I want residents, businesses and community groups to come along, have their say, and help make sure this project delivers the jobs, skills, infrastructure and community benefits that West Cumbria deserves.”

Feedback gathered through the engagement programme will help inform the emerging masterplan as work progresses.

Michael Pemberton, Chief Executive of BEC, said: "From day one, we've been clear that Pioneer Park must be shaped with the people and communities it is being created to benefit.

"It's important that local people have the chance to influence their future. We want to hear what matters most, whether that's jobs, skills, opportunities for local businesses or wider community benefits.”

Alongside supporting the UK's clean energy ambitions, Pioneer Park aims to build on West Cumbria's internationally recognised strengths in energy, engineering and innovation, creating opportunities across advanced nuclear technologies, clean energy, robotics, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and research.

The 14 July event is part of a wider programme of engagement around Pioneer Park. Those unable to attend in Whitehaven will also have an opportunity to meet the project team at the Gosforth Agricultural Show on Saturday, 15 August.

Further information about Pioneer Park, including details of future engagement opportunities, is available on the Pioneer Park website.