Workington Gateway

Cumberland Council has embarked on a £10.6 million project to open up a key area of Workington and dramatically improve HGV access. The location involves the A66 and A596 at Ramsay Brow and Hall Brow, two of the main roads into the town, which form an important route to the Port of Workington and other major industrial sites to the north of the town.

The project will also mean significant investment for Workington’s historic Hall Park, one of the town’s key recreational and cultural assets, and enhanced pedestrian and cycle routes to and from the town centre.

Background

In 2022, the former Allerdale Borough Council applied to the Government for Levelling Up funding. A total of £9.6 million was granted, along with £1 million from Cumberland Council which is now driving the project forward.

The scheme

The Workington Gateway Project will offer many benefits for the whole community, as well as the West Cumbrian economy.

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• Hall Brow, close to Workington Police Station, will be widened, allowing better access for all vehicles
• parking will be improved for local residents on Hall Brow
• the Henry Curwen pub, at the bottom of Ramsay Brow, will be demolished so its junction with Washington Street and Bridge Street can also be widened, improving HGV access
• both these sections of the scheme will benefit the Port of Workington, and the wider industrial areas in the north of the town as restrictions on long vehicles will be removed
• heavy traffic will also be reduced through other residential areas as this becomes the best route to this area of Workington
• a new cycleway will be created and pedestrian pathways will be improved from Ladies Walk, next to the former Workington Brewery building, through Hall Park
• the cycle and pedestrian routes from Park End Road to Stainburn Roundabout and Workington Academy will also be enhanced
• permanent lighting will be installed at the historic Workington Hall
• the walled garden in Hall Park, part of the West House horticultural social enterprise, will be enhanced with the creation of a new café and training facilities – a planning application was submitted in January 2024

Work on the demolition of the Henry Curwen pub is due to start in Summer 2024. The entire scheme should be completed in 2025.

Ramsay Brow pocket park

An artist impression of the widened Ramsay Brow junction looking up from Washington Street. The new landscaped pocket park green space is shown to the left of the Ramsay Brow roadway, adjacent to the red brick Workington Magistrates’ Court.

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Park End Road entrance 

An artist impression of the entrance to Hall Park and the car park adjacent to Workington Skate Park. The pillars at the entrance to the park are visible through mature trees and there is a cobbled area on the road denoting the enhanced vehicle entrance.

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West House view 

An artist impression of an aerial view of how the new West House walled garden and café will look. It will feature buildings on three sides of the site, with paved areas between garden beds filled with plants in the centre.

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