The closure of Southport Theatre and Convention Centre was among the first victims of the Coronavirus pandemic in March.
Today the Southport Town Deal board revealed its determination to open a new waterside events centre, ensuring the future of one of Southport’s cultural landmarks.
The new convention and events centre would house a 1,200-seat auditorium, exhibition halls as well as a cafe and co-working space.
This state-of-the-art facility has been designed for flexible use and targeted at attracting new types of events such as esports to the North West region.
The venue would make more use of the stunning views across the Marine Lake.
It would also aim to be in use for a wide array of conferences, shows and events seven days a week and throughout the year.
The strength of feeling for one of our town’s greatest landmark’s has been shown by the formation of the Save Southport Theatre and Floral Hall group on Facebook, which has attracted nearly 7,000 members in just a few months thanks to founder Lisa Lea Kelly and her fellow admins.
The determination to create a new facility is good news for Southport, and the many businesses which rely on the venue for trade such as local hotels, shops, restaurants, plus suppliers and freelancers for events there.
The struggles of Preston Guild Hall show that the future of the Southport Theatre site could have been precarious. Without such a strength of feeling locally, decisions could have been taken that Southport was already adequately served by The Atkinson and Southport Little Theatre.
Its future now looks secure, although there will be many questions and many discussions to come over exactly what the venue will be like, what it will offer and what it will look like.
Initial images of how it may look have been released by Sefton Council, although this is likely to change as people’s views are sought.
When the Southport Town Deal consultation took place, hundreds of people who responded said bringing back the theatre was the one thing they wanted to see most.
The building has a rich history, having been officially opened by Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich in May 1973, while the history of the Floral Hall goes back much further.
In March, Sefton Council appointed consultants IPW to examine the best options for the future of the facility.
In July Sefton Council subsequently released plans outlining its ambitious vision for a brand new world-class theatre and conference centre on Southport waterfront. The new state-of-the-art venue would sit on the edge of Marine Lake and replace the current Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.
The aim is to attract national and regional conferences to visit Southport as well as gaining the opportunity to secure leading theatre shows; all of which bring additional investment and spend into the town.
A feasibility and design study was commissioned for the new theatre and conference centre by Sefton Council and evaluates a range of options including minor renovation works, as well as the ambitious vision, which may comprise either a full new build, or partial new build with retention of the Floral Hall.
The work is being led by IPW which is an expert in venues and facilities and supported by global architects HOK.
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