A former hotel near Hesketh Park in Southport could be bought and converted by Sefton Council in a £1 million scheme to provide temporary accommodation for people who are homeless.
The Salfordian, at 37 Park Crescent Southport, served for over 60 years as a popular holiday destination for Salford’s elderly and disabled residents.
It was opened by Salford council in 1963 to provide a home from home for residents and their carers, with 24-hour on-call support.
The hotel was first threatened 25 years ago after funding fell short. The Salfordian Trust was formed to keep it afloat, ploughing more than £750,000 into the Grade II listed building since its creation.
But thanks to a campaign launched to find the funding, vital works were completed and it re-opened.
But then in 2013, its future was again in doubt when bosses learned that a vital electric overhaul would cost £52,000.
A campaign saw the necessary money raised and the facility kept open.
But it has been third time unlucky for Salford Council, which has now made the difficult decision to close one of its more popular assets.
On Thursday 2nd October, a Sefton Council Cabinet meeting at Bootle Town Hall will meet to decide whether to take over the property.
A council description of the issue said: “Sefton Council continues to experience an increase in homelessness.
“The number of households in temporary accommodation has risen sharply and this increase is driven by factors such as the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and a lack of suitable ‘move on’ accommodation.
“In February 2025, Council approved the Revenue and Capital Budget Plan 2025/26-2027/28, which included an allocation of £1m for potential acquisition and refurbishment works to premises which are assessed as suitable for the provision of temporary accommodation.
“Consideration of individual business cases and the decision to proceed being delegated to Cabinet.
“A report sets out the business case for acquisition of The Salfordian, Southport, for the purpose of providing temporary accommodation to qualifying households in Sefton.”
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