THOUSANDS of tonnes of earth have been shifted as the first stage of a multi-million pound project gets under way.

Just outside of Ulverston near the Daltongate junction, a £4.6m emergency hub is to be built over the next 12 months.

Consolidating the police, fire and ambulance services under one roof, it will be the first of its kind in the South Lakes.

So far, contractor Eric Wright has stripped away more than 9000m3 of soil, and imported almost 2500m3 of stone to level out the site, in anticipation of structural work.

As well as the development of the hub, Daltongate Road will be redesigned to facilitate a junction into the site.

Even though no structures have been erected so far, a massive amount of manpower and effort has gone into transforming the site.

A scrubby patch of grass and hedgerow had to be broken up and levelled before even the foundations could be laid.

Aspect Construction, which will take on the building process, is set to begin work by the end of March.

Foundations will go in during June, and the steel frame of the hub is expected to take shape around September.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said that if construction proceeds as scheduled, emergency crews will be moving onto the site as early as spring 2018.

Speaking after ground was first broken at the site earlier this year, Cumbria’s police and crime commissioner Peter McCall said: “The start of work on the hub project marks an important step in the direction of increased Blue Light collaboration, and I welcome this development.

"I am a great believer in the need to work with our partners to improve the service we deliver to our communities. With an increasing demand for some of our services, coupled with the current and expected restrictions on funding, collaboration provides opportunities to truly innovate and save money."

A wider project is also in place to rejuvenate the Daltongate and Lightburn Road areas of the town in association with the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.

Upgrading the road system, and ensuring better traffic movement is a key part of securing the long-term prosperity of the area.

Graham Haywood, director of the Cumbria LEP, said: “It’s good to see this important piece of transport infrastructure progressing with the second stage at Daltongate.

"Road improvements like this are crucial in keeping the county’s arterial routes through and between key business and employment hubs fit for purpose.

"The A590 is of major importance to employers like GSK Ulverston and BAE Systems. It’s also a key contributor to ensure better strategic connectivity to the M6 corridor, attract new investment and support business growth."

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See the huge scale of the development with these stunning aerial photographs