Stand Up For Southport Blog by Andrew Brown
What a fantastic first event to take place in the brand new Eastbank building at Southport Enterprise Arcade in Southport town centre.
It could not have been more fitting that the Digital Careers Event ion 10th and 11th June 2025 was aimed at enhancing the skills of high school students in Southport, who enjoyed the rare opportunity of spending two days learning from some of the best tech experts in the UK at a series of workshops.
The day was hosted by Jon Corner and Keith Molloy with Sefton Council working in partnership with Edge Hill University
The businesses and organisations which provided their expertise included: Fallen Planet Studios; Holovis; RIVR; Edge Hill University; VEC; Hatter’s Digital Agency; Riffle; and FUREAI Ltd.
Subjects covered included XR / immersive tech; graphic design; podcasting; social media marketing; and AI.
It shows exactly what a transformational space this is going to become.
Eastbank has now celebrated its £1.5 million completion with Hatters the first tenant signed up and talks under way to complete with others – some exciting news to come.
This space offers four floors of top quality town centre space which will host emerging tech, digital and creative businesses, co-workers and freelancers of all sizes.
It will offer huge opportunities for networking, innovation and the opportunity for everyone but young people in particular to develop skills, knowledge, opportunities and experience.
Looking from the windows you get a great view of the millions of pounds of public realm work which is taking place in the Market Quarter area just outside which will further elevate this part of Southport town centre.
This is not just a local facility, it is very much a regional hub which is a superb new addition to what’s on offer in the Liverpool City Region.
It is one of the major schemes of Southport Town Deal and it’s set to have a significant impact on Southport’s future and the development of its local economy.
The practical completion of Southport Enterprise Arcade was announced at the start of June.
Eastbank at the Enterprise Arcade project has been funded through the Southport Town Deal by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Part of the Southport Town Investment Plan, the 8,000sq ft building provides high-quality workspace and modern amenities for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the digital and creative sectors.
The Enterprise Arcade aims to become a central hub for these businesses, providing a strong foundation to grow this vital sector of Sefton’s economy while creating new jobs, developing skills, and opening opportunities for the local community.
Practical completion was achieved on the project on 19th May 2025, with the project delivered on budget, fully funded by the Town Deal funding received following Southport’s successful bid for a range of strategic projects.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council said: “Vibrant, flexible workspaces like this are essential to attracting talent, encouraging innovation, and ensuring our towns are dynamic places to live, work, do business and flourish.”
The Enterprise Arcade complements other major Town Deal regeneration initiatives in Southport. These include the development of the £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre, which is underway, and the transformation of Southport Market into a popular modern food, drink and events venue.
This development sits at the heart of change in Southport town centre with a programme of public realm improvements taking shape across this area, the first phase of Les Transformations de Southport, which once completed will provide the perfect setting and will encourage further investment in this area of town.
Local support for the new industry hub has been overwhelming. Over 180 responses to the consultation were received with the feedback confirmed there is strong demand for this kind of flexible, collaborative workspace. This view reflects broader trends in the region’s economy, with growing momentum in Sefton’s creative and digital business sectors and the need for more premium office space.
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