As an ode towards the Morecambe Bay’s rich biodiversity and heritage, the Heart of the Dancing Balaena acts as Morecambe’s newest wildlife conservation and rehabilitation centre – situated along the promenade, overlooking the Bay. The proposal’s design was reflective and inspired by the courtship and feeding behaviours of local cetacean species. Regional whale species like Fin and Minke are sporadically spotted on the outskirts and deeper waters of the Bay and form an integral part of the ecosystem – adding to the rarity and uniqueness of the design.
The site harbours a visitor centre and conservation education gallery, an event space pavilion and a wildlife rehabilitation & veterinary clinic. As well as the aforementioned, an addition to the veterinary centre is a new on-show seal paddock which, situated within the site for visitors to view some of the Bay’s seal rescues and how they are cared for under the highest levels of animal welfare standards. Other features would include private off-show aviaries, paddocks and marine tanks for the rescue and re-wilding of individuals – which can be viewed through private tours to provide privacy for the rehabilitating species.
Further to this, the Heart of the Dancing Balaena centre incorporates the adjacent Town Hall Gardens into its wider landscaping proposal to create a new artificial salt-marsh wetland. This inclusion is to further enhance biodiversity within the area due to Morecambe’s significant array of bird species present in the locality. Visitors of the site would learn more about the protected biodiversity of the Bay and how these species are cared for and conserved, as well as learning about the host of people at the forefront of these animal rescue efforts of Morecambe. The centre would aim to become one of the UK’s leading wildlife conservation learning hubs for the protection of threatened species.
Gallery
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