Southport Market reveals expansion plans with aim for new outdoor dining and beach huts

Southport Market has revealed plans to expand this summer, with new outdoor seating areas along parts of King Street and Market Street. 

Visitors to the busy facility could also soon enjoy four new free-standing booths / beach huts next to the building, along Market Street. 

The area would also be brightened up with free-standing planters and a picket fence. 

The plans show spaces for seven new outdoor tables and chairs outside the building along King Street, with eight tables and chairs and four booths along Market Street.

Southport Market, which is operated by Sefton Council’s Tourism team, has been a huge success since it opened last July as a new food, drink and events venue. 

The £1.4million transformation was achieved through £900,000 funding through the Government’s Southport Town Deal scheme with £500,000 from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 

A full planning application for the proposals has been submitted by Sefton Council’s Economic Growth and Housing department. 

The proposals have been drawn up by DV8 Designs, which created the award-winning design of the Market last year. 

They said: “This application seeks full planning permission to create a new outdoor seating area onto the frontage of both King Street and Market Street to provide additional external covers and improve the operator’s offer.

“New external loose furniture is proposed within a picket fence / planter box lined boundary, which retains all means of access to entry / exit points and do not impede onto council owned pavements. 

“Four new freestanding booths / beach huts are to be formed along Market Street to provide feature external covered seating areas to be used throughout the year. 

“Southport Market’s location within the Lord Street Conservation Area has been kept in mind for the alterations proposed, in order to remain sympathetic to the existing building and the Conservation Area.” 

Southport Market. Photo by Andrew Brown Media

Since opening last year, Southport Market has attracted huge numbers of visitors to the thriving food market, licensed bar and events space – serving alcoholic beverages and food with internal dining and drinking space, it is a popular town centre venue.

Operators there include: 600 Degrees Pizza; Pasta 51 Express; Hector’s Mexicana; Cone Head; Down And Oot; Pitamu; Cake Corner; Market Bar; and Blackhurst Butchers. 

DV8 Designs said: “Southport Market a popular destination throughout the whole week.

“The proposal is for a modest scheme to the external paved area to both King Street and Market Street.

“The aim being to enhance the overall operation and look of the external area to encourage additional trade and improve the external drinking and dining offer during the summer months.

“The four new free-standing booths / beach huts have been formed to create an all-year-round feature covered seating area. 

“The booths will be aesthetically pleasing and make a visual impact along Market Street as part of the operator’s overall vision for the marketing and branding strategy moving forward. “Consideration has been given to the scale of the new booths to ensure that the proposals do not affect the hierarchy of the existing building or diminish any of the existing architectural features within the Conservation Area. 

“A sympathetic approach to neighbouring properties has been considered to ensure that vision through the booths and into the Market can be achieved when the Market is operating, with the addition of bi-fold windows to the rear of each booth which are to be fixed back when in-use. 

“New free-standing box planters are proposed to create boundary lines to denote public entrances in order to maintain access to entry and exit points.”

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