The owners of the Garrick building in Southport have told how they have “risked everything” to save and restore one of Southport’s most cherished landmarks, having already spent over half a million pounds to make essential repairs.
Planning permission was recently granted to transform the beautiful art deco building on Lord Street into ‘the UK’s only theatre spa hotel’ in one of Southport’s most important regeneration schemes in decades.
Originally opened in 1932, the site on will now undergo a multi-million pound development to provide:
- 109 new hotel rooms
- 12 luxury apartments including a 4th floor terrace and pool
- gym and spa
- bar and restaurant
- refurbishment of the existing event auditorium to create a new theatre space.
Sefton Council said that the landmark building, designed by renowned architect George Tonge in an Art Deco style, has been “an important landmark for Southport for generations”.
The scheme however has been delayed since the initial planning application was submitted by Garrick Southport Ltd in June last year.
The Theatres Trust, the national advice and advocacy body for the UK’s theatres, lodged a number of concerns about the scheme which led to a hold-up of the scheme going ahead.
Since planning permission was granted, Theatres Trust National Planning Adviser Tom Clarke said on their website: “It is hugely disappointing that planning permission has been granted without taking into consideration our concerns, and those of Historic England, who also objected to the scheme. Case law is clear that where local authorities deviate from the advice of statutory consultees they must express ‘cogent and compelling’ reasons for doing so.
“The decision by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council sets out no such justification. It also appears that this development should have been referred to their Planning Committee.”
The Theatres Trust’s opposition to the scheme has baffled the building’s owners, who are eager to get building work underway and create a new legacy for the town.
Garrick Southport Ltd Director Gary MacArthur said: “The delay in obtaining planning permission has been caused by Theatres Trust and it is our strong opinion that Theatres Trust have failed in their duties in their role as advising our government as a consultant on all planning applications to do with theatres. They are the sole reason for the delay in this project.
“I would like to think Nikki and I have a strong proven track record in restoring listed buildings. In this instance, we re-mortgaged our own personal homes to purchase this historic asset, with a view to restoring it.
“Theatres Trust told me this was not personal when I told them of my plans for this site. I informed them it was personal as we had risked everything to save it.
“Theatres Trust which advised the council and the government against granting permission had never even been to the site before they met me there.
“They could not even tell me that they knew it had been painted in various bingo brands (blue) for the last 50 years. They also had no idea of the extent of the long-term damage to the fly tower which is part of the reason the property was disposed of.
“The repair damages to the fly tower alone are estimated to be in excess of £750,000. These damages we inherited.
“Sefton Council has been trying to get the Garrick building repaired to save it for almost 10 years.
“In our ownership, we have stabilised the building from collapse.
“It is our strong opinion that Theatres Trust have failed in their duties as an advisory body for the British government. In our opinion they are a sheer waste of the British taxpayers’ money.
“They alone could have caused this project to fail.
“Had it not been for the strong assistance and amazing perseverance from Sefton Council – Stuart Barnes, and Derek Mckenzie’s team (particularly Agustina Solassi and Dan Byron who have been the key players here), we may have walked away a long time ago. These people are all part of the reason that Nikki and I have followed our dreams.
“We have spent over £519,000 in the two years and seven months since our ownership in securing the tower and keeping the building wind and water tight.
“Without the accommodation element to the site it is not viable. As a spa hotel and theatre it has life-time longevity.
“I would like to add that we went through the public consultations without ONE public objection for such a high profile site.
“I would like to thank the people of Southport for their support. I think this alone shows how much they appreciate us buying the site.
“Theatres Trust have caused a lot of unnecessary stress and a delay of time in getting this beautiful property restored and I will be writing to the Prime Minister’s office to advise them of their failings on advising the government.
“We intend to discharge the planning conditions this year and look for a hotel operator with a view to start work in 2025.
“Once again thank you to each and every single resident and Southport who have supported us.
“We did it! “
In their Planning report on The Garrick, Sefton Council said that restoring it will “provide a boost to the building’s long-term future and economy by bringing new life to this part of the Conservation Area”.
Garrick Southport Ltd submitted a planning application for the scheme in June last year.
Earlier this year the firm created boards along the ground floor of the development, with artist’s impressions of how it would look when finished.
Giving the go ahead for the development is a massive boost for the southern end of Lord Street.
The Victorian boulevard has seen millions of pounds invested at the northern end in recent years, with the likes of The Grand, the Lord Street Hotel, the Bold Hotel and more.
The Garrick building has been empty since 2020 and was last occupied by Mecca Bingo.
Initial concerns with regards to use of the roof space above the auditorium, and impact on art deco ceiling have been resolved by removing these, and overall hotel rooms have been reduced from 137 to 109.
The scheme includes a tiered vertical extension adding three floors of accommodation on top of the building.
In his report, Sefton Council Chief Planning Officer Derek McKenzie said: “The proposed development would retain an active frontage onto Lord Street frontages, supporting vitality and viability, the uses proposed on the upper floors would be compatible with the retail and commercial character of the area, and the proposals would secure the re-use, repair and restoration of a heritage asset that would improve and benefit the area.
“The development would also provide facilities to encourage visitors to the Southport Central Area, which is a strategic location for tourism.
“The Garrick Theatre is located at the southern end of Lord Street and falls within the Lord Street Conservation Area. The property is also a Grade ll Listed Building.
“Due to its architectural quality the building makes a positive contribution to the street scene and the Conservation Area.
“The building was designed by the renowned architect George Tonge in an Art Deco style and has been an important landmark for Southport for generations.
“The building’s life as a large-scale theatre was short lived, and in the early 1960s the building was adapted into a bingo hall, with a number of unfortunate and insensitive alterations carried out.
“The bingo closed its doors in 2020 during COVID and has been vacant since then.
“The proposals include the vertical extension adding three floors of accommodation on top of the fly-tower. The extensions are designed in a sympathetic way and relate well to the original design of the tower and the overall building. The extensions will also ensure that the existing fly tower is repaired, and its currently poor structural condition ameliorated.
“The Council’s Conservation Officer has been consulted and has no objections to the development subject to conditions.
“The building will be brought back to its original use with some adaptations to secure its long-term viability.
“The proposal seeks to restore many original features and ensure key elements of the original fabric are retained.
“The proposal will provide a boost to the building’s long-term future and economy by bringing new life to this part of the Conservation Area.”
Promotional boards were installed outside The Garrick building earlier this year, proclaiming ‘the UK’s only theatre spa hotel’.
Giant images along the ground floor show what the iconic art deco building, which originally opened in 1932, will look like when multi-million pound renovation work is complete.
The images bear captions including ‘coming soon – the UK’s only spa theatre hotel’; ‘we are rehearsing a grand revival’; ‘the next act is elegance’; ‘a place like no other’; and ‘a historic icon set to be restored’.
A planning application for the scheme was lodged with Sefton Council in June 2023.
The proposal involves the part conversion to provide residential, hotel, spa and retail units at ground floor, and the refurbishment of the existing auditorium as an event space.
In the application for The Garrick, with plans drawn up by Footprint Design, said: “The Lord Street conservation area will benefit from the reuse of the building, in a part of the conservation area associated with civic and commercial uses, and which has a focal and destination function.
“The current redundancy of the building is part of a disturbing pattern of patchy occupation and disrepair of buildings within the area, and its re-purposing with an entertainment function for which it was designed, alongside complementary new uses, should contribute positively to the Conservation Area.
“The re-use will encourage other projects in the area, and provide improved animation and activity in this location.
“It is considered that the impact on the Lord Street conservation is likely to be majorly beneficial.”
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