THE QUEEN will meet G7 leaders to tuck into a banquet-in-a-biome this evening as they dine at Cornwall's top tourist attraction, the Eden Project.
But what is the Eden Project and can visitors go there?
What is the Eden Project?
The Eden Project is made up of large gardens housed in tropical biomes that nestle in a crater the size of 30 football pitches.
The eco attraction has two biomes simulates a rainforest environment -the largest indoor rainforest in the world – and the second, a Mediterranean environment.
It also has an outside botanical garden which is home to many plants and wildlife native to Cornwall and the UK in general.
The hexagonal shape of the biome’s cells was based on soap bubbles, and their ability to adapt to the uneven shape of the clay pit that they were building in.
Each cell is made of highly-durable and high-temperature resistant material, ETFE, that is inflated to create a pillow.
Similar to clingfilm, ETFE is lighter than glass but also strong enough to withstand the weight of a car. It also lets in UV light for the plants inside.
Where is the Eden Project?
The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, 1.2 miles from the town of St Blazey, near St Austell in Cornwall.
How much did the Eden Project cost?
Overall the Eden Project cost £141 million to complete. The build was funded through a series of government grants and loans, from institutions like the Millennium Commission – with funding coming from the National Lottery – and European regeneration funds.
Since it was fully funded in 2000 the site has been a source of enormous economic revitalisation for Cornwall and the Southwest as a whole – it is believed to have contributed well over £1 billion to the local economy since its launch.
How do I get tickets for the Eden Project?
All visits require pre-booking with a timed entry ticket at the moment. You can pre-book tickets up until September 5, with more dates to follow.
Entries are staggered with time ticketing slots so as to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to.
Your chosen time slot gives you a window of 30 minutes in which to arrive, but once here, you’re welcome to stay all day.
Entry tickets are annual passes. An annual pass gives you unlimited entry to Eden for a whole year (from the selected date) – and also allows the Eden Project to treat your admission fee as a donation to our charity.
Is the Eden Project coming to Morecambe?
A planning application for an Eden project to be built up north in Morecambe, Lancashire, is to be put in this summer, it has been announced.
The application, which has cost more than £1m to put together, could be with Lancaster City Council in the coming months, according to Eden Project North architect Tim Narey, Lancs Live reports.
In an open public forum with Morecambe residents, Tim explained that the vast environmental impact assessment, attached to the planning application, would take several months to put together before the project could move forward.
"We are marching quite quickly towards getting the planning application into the council this summer," said Tim.
"Because of the complexity of this application we have to do an environmental impact assessment, we like that we have to do it because it teaches about all the amazing things in Morecambe we may not have known about before.
"We are still very committed here and the planning application will cost well over £1m; it is a huge piece of work."
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