The Government quango recently removed from office its £80,000 a year finance director, Geoff Parker, following concerns that it has over-committed its £311.8m annual budget. The agency is part-funding a number of regeneration schemes in Cumbria, including the marina at Barrow docks, but, as Mike Baker, a spokesperson for West Lakes Renaissance, the organisation formed to oversee the project explained, the marina is ‘central’ to the various projects the NWDA will fund, and will receive funding. The marina is part of the Barrow Port Master Plan, which covers a significant proportion of both Barrow Port and Barrow Island, in which a marina village and marina development are key drivers for the regeneration of the whole dock area.

Baker said the Barrow project would be carried out in two phases, the first being the construction of a new canal to the marina and the new locks, the second being the construction of the marina, which will overlap with the work carried out under the first phase. New locks are required because the existing locks - which were designed to allow the transit of nuclear powered Trident submarines built at BAe Systems shipyard in Barrow, are unsuitable for use by small craft. If the project goes ahead as planned, construction work will start next year, in time for the marina to open for the 2006 season.