Lancaster City Council, Eden Project Morecambe

• The value of the subsidy is £50.9 million. The purpose of the subsidy is to support the construction of Eden Project Morecambe, a new nationally significant cultural and tourism destination in the North of England.
• Our key takeaways from the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) report are:
  • The key issue identified was the fact that the approach taken in the Assessment mirrored the information provided in the Council’s Levelling Up Fund bid. While there will be commonalities between such bids and an assessment of the subsidy control principles, public authorities should take care to tailor the information they use to the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act.
  • At Step 2 (counterfactual assessment), ensure to present a forward-looking assessment of what would happen in the absence of the subsidy, rather than just relying on historic failings to show why the subsidy is needed.
  • At Step 3 (considering distortive impacts), ensure to clearly highlight your closest competitors, even in cases where the products of the subsidy are diverse (as is the case with visitor attractions).

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