The proposed new £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre and Light Fantastic could be built in Blackpool instead of Southport.
The dramatic change is being considered as part of proposals to make Blackpool “the Las Vegas of the North”.
It follows the recent change of Prime Minister, with Rishi Sunak ordering civil servants to ensure value for money and that his Levelling Up agenda is being targeted in the right areas.
Ministers have been monitoring social media sites across the UK for public reaction to major Town Deal projects such as the Marine Lake Events Centre and are believed to be concerned at some of the responses from people living in Southport.
A Government report has published a range of comments about the MLEC scheme in Southport, including:
“We need something Victorian looking, not this state-of-the-art rubbish.”
“We need to give the Government their money back. Just give us a few B&Q vouchers and we can patch up the old Southport Theatre.”
“Can’t we just rebuild the old Southport Sea Bathing Lake instead?”
Ministers now believe that the residents on the nearby Fylde coast may be more receptive to the new events centre, along with the spectacular £3.3 million water and light show which had been planned for the Marine Lake.
With its nod to the famous Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, they believe it may be more suitable for driving tourists to Blackpool instead – but first want to discover what residents in each area think before making a final decision on where the new facility should be built.
The MLEC is expected to attract 515,000 new visitors each year, while generating an annual £18 million for whichever local economy it supports.
Research into people’s reaction on social media will be carried out by a Government Quango, the Acceleration Project Research Innovation Local Funding Office Outreach Levelling up Service.
Spokesperson Daisy Florapol said: “When the £37.5 million Government Town Deal funding for Southport was announced last year, we thought people would be delighted with a brand new events centre and a spectacular water and light show, the only one of its kind in the country.
“But Ministers are becoming concerned that many people in Southport just don’t like the idea of anything new.
“Many of them would rather see the return of Woolworths, the Land Of The Little People and Saturday nights in The Kingsway than new events centres and light shows on the lake.
“Blackpool has more piers than Southport and more sand on its beach, so there are reasons that these seafront attractions could be built there instead.
“We will now gather evidence from the reaction of people in Southport and Blackpool on social media before making a final decision on 1 April 2024.”
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