A COMPETITION has been launched with the winner offered the chance to design a 22 hectare centrepiece of a key development.

Carlisle City Council has partnered with the Landscape Institute to launch a two-stage design competition to select an individual or team to design a greenway and park for the St Cuthbert's Garden Village communities in the south of Carlisle. United Utilities are also acting as main sponsors.

The competition, which is open to professionals and students across a range of disciplines, will launch on Monday, July 12.

The Greenway, ‘Start with a Park’ project is identified in the Carlisle Town Deal Investment Plan, alongside six other schemes.

Cllr Paul Nedved, Portfolio holder for Economy, Enterprise and Housing said:“Start with the Park’ - to be based near Durdar and Blackwell - is an opportunity to create a resource that could be a visitor destination attraction in its own right and will benefit the existing and future residents of Carlisle.

"By establishing the ‘Greenway’ at the outset of SCGV, a greenspace will be created at the heart of the community and will be a unique selling point.

"It will also connect the proposed new communities with each other, with existing villages in the area, with the city, and with the surrounding countryside.”

Carlisle's investment plan was submitted to the Government back in October 2020, while the city also received a head of terms offer for £19.7 million of investment into the city centre in March 2021.

It is hoped that the Greenway will provide an opportunity to look at new ways of delivering cycling and walking infrastructure in Carlisle to encourage recreational and active travel.

A key element of this will be ensuring that the connectivity is both within and beyond the garden village. Particular focus will be given to ensuring active and sustainable transport connectivity to the city centre, as well as the "transformational" regeneration projects within the southern gateway area, including the railway station improvements and new university campus and businesses space at the Citadels and Caldew Riverside.

Three entrants of the competition will be chosen to progress to stage 2 of the competition - and each will be awarded an honorarium of £5,000. The overall winner of stage 2 will receive £10,000 and will also be invited to enter into a contract with Carlisle City Council to develop and deliver the design.

The student competition will be single stage. There will be two winners selected, one from each category, who will be awarded a prize of £1,500. There will also be two runner ups for each category selected with a prize award of £500.