Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited has submitted plans for a 'world class' Roman visitor attraction in Maryport, Cumbria, UK.
The plans received by Allerdale Borough Council outline a £10.7m Roman Maryport development at Camp Farm with attractions including a Victorian model farm including a Roman fort and civilian settlement.
The plans also include a new museum building to house the Netherhall Collection - a selection of Roman Army religious dedications - and the redevelopment of the existing museum in the battery building.
Michael Baker, director of sustainable development for Hadrian's Wall Heritage, said the attraction would have a strong educational aspect and that he hoped to have the site open to the public by 2014.
He said: "This key heritage development involves the restoration and conversion of the historic farm buildings into galleries and visitor facilities, and will significantly raise the profile of the west coast of Cumbria as a destination worthy of visiting to a large audience for whom the area is as yet unknown.
"There will be rich, varied and complementary interpretation emphasising the relevance of the story of Roman Maryport to us today - for example what is it like to live on a frontier, to be an occupying soldier, to live in an occupied country, the meeting of different cultures."
Roman Maryport is expected to attract 55,000 visitors a year and is being developed as a partnership between Hadrian's Wall Heritage and the Senhouse Museum Trust which runs the Senhouse Roman Museum next to the site.
The Roman fort at Maryport - Roman name Alauna - is a key part of the Roman frontier coastal defences that extend from Hadrian's Wall, and is included in the 150 mile Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site.
Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited was set up in 2006 by One North East, the Northwest Development Agency, English Heritage and Natural England. The company's aim is to realise the economic, social and cultural regeneration potential of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site and the communities and environment through which it passes by sustainable tourism development, management and conservation activities which benefit local communities and the wider region.
