The former Willow Grove Wetherspoon building on Lord Street in Southport town centre is due to be divided into three new units in a bid to revitalise the site.
The Grade II Listed building at 387-389 Lord Street, which is believed to have been built in the 1880s, has been vacant since Wetherspoon closed the pub in April 2023.
Wetherspoon still operates the Sir Henry Segrave pub at the southern end of Lord Street, and has also had planning permission granted to to build a new 30-ned hotel on Lord Street.
The owners of 387-389 Lord Street say that “there have already been enquiries made” with a real demand for smaller units but little appetite among operators to take on the whole building.
A previous marketing exercise said that “the site has an exciting flexibility to reopen as a pub, bar, restaurant, or social / immersive leisure venue”.
After Wetherspoon left two years ago, the owners embarked on a £200,000 four-month refurbishment to really make it stand out for a range of possible uses by a multitude of operators.
Paul Neal Architects has now submitted a planning application on behalf of Peelclose Properties to Sefton Council to sub-divide the site into three new units, with one on the ground floor with a Lord Street entrance; one on Nevill Street with a ground floor entrance; and one on the first floor with a ground floor entrance.
In their application, they said: “The landlord has made extensive efforts to secure a new tenant since Wetherspoons vacated the site in 2023. Initially the site was advertised in April 2023 through Jenics, a commercial agent with national coverage.
“Licence Trade Associates, a firm who specialise in marketing licensed premises in the north west, were then instructed to market the site in May 2024.
“Finally in March 2025 Fitton Estates, a local Southport agent, were instructed to market the site.
“All three marketing exercises have led to no serious enquiries being made for the site.
“Despite the landlord’s extensive efforts to market the site through national, regional and local agents, the advice the landlord has received from all three agents is that there is no demand for such a large amount of space.
“The landlord has since begun to test the market for smaller units and there have already been enquiries made, which has led to this planning application.
“A new partition wall will divide the existing ground floor space, resulting in one unit with access from Lord Street and a second unit with new or existing access from Nevill Street.
“The site is located prominently at the corner of Lord Street and Nevill Street within the Lord Street Conservation Area, a key retail and historic centre in Southport.
“The property is a traditional three-storey Victorian building with commercial use on the ground floor first and second floor.
“The current ground floor is a single large commercial unit split across both first and second floor with existing entrances on both Lord Street (primary) and Nevill Street (secondary) frontages.
“The shop unit is typical of the units on Lord Street, the property benefits from a large shop window within the front on both facades
“Minimal external changes are proposed, limited to signage or minor shopfront adjustments in line with conservation guidance.
“The design respects the special architectural character of the Lord Street Conservation Area. No loss of historic fabric or features is proposed. Any shopfront amendments will be minor and sympathetic.
“The development maintains the existing townscape character, with no adverse impact on visual amenity, scale, or context. It reflects good design principles and retains public-facing frontage.
“It supports the re-invigoration of Lord Street and surrounding streets, including the diversification of unit sizes to suit modern business needs.
“Enhancing active frontages on Nevill Street complements town centre vibrancy and improves connectivity between the seafront and the retail core.
“The proposal enhances the vitality of the conservation area by promoting active use and economic sustainability.
“This proposal seeks to support the continued commercial viability of a heritage asset within Southport town centre by sensitively subdividing a large commercial space into three smaller, functional units.”
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