Derwent Forest

Came across this during the initial research of the topic - it may warrant a closer look.

It is a decommissioned Royal Naval armament storage facility of 425ha which now represents the largest brownfield site in the UK.

It is in north west Cumbria, close to the Lake District National Park boundary, between the towns of Cockermouth, Maryport and Workington.

As the blurb from this development guide says:

The redevelopment of the site presents an exceptional opportunity to deliver real benefit to the West Cumbrian economy, and to the people who live in and visit this unique region.

Due to this 'live' and 'visit' idea, this 'borderland' site could prove to be ideal for the scope of our thesis.
Especially given the assertion that this site gives the opportunity to:

capitalise upon the popularity and tourist economy of the Lakes and create a commercial linkage with Cumbria’s scenic West Coast

 A brownfield site could also yield interesting opportunities for examining decay, re-use, refurbishment and employment.

All images from Derwent Forest Development Guide
http://web.me.com/davidnsaunders/ceu/proposal/partnership/DerwentForestReport.pdf